Not Your Average Fairy Tail (DISCONTINUED)
by Cafe passionne
Summary: REWRITE IS UP ON MY PROFILE
1. Chapter one

**Chapter one**

Silence hung heavily in the air, something that both thrilled and annoyed the midnight haired woman, the stillness only ever broken by the rustling of shuffling papers or one of the old men present clearing their throat, just for the sake of being able to speak without hacking later on in the meeting. After only a few more moments of this, the young woman rested the swell of her hip against the left arm of the chair that the youngest member of the council occupied and a tiny marble rolled out of the sleeve of her left arm. The sphere rolled rather noisily around the granite table, which was so obnoxiously large that it took nearly a minute for the leisurely crystal to make its way back in front of the woman, where it promptly shattered, pieces falling loudly to the tabletop. All eyes seemed to snap up at this, an amused smirk playing on the woman's features as she mouthed the well practiced spell and tightened her hand into a fist, the stone melding together once more to continue around its track, to the annoyance of one of the men across the table from her. "Ultear!" he snapped, slamming the papers he was reading down on the table, hoping to disrupt the marble's course. His thin, peanut colored eyebrow ticked in annoyance as the sphere merely danced around the pages, his inky eyes catching the slight twitch of the younger mage's fingers as the stone weaved around the other reports on the table with impossible accuracy. "Stop playing around during the meeting!"

With a snap of her fingers, the ball was flying through the air, orbiting around the woman instead of circling the table, an exaggerated pout forming on her plump lips as she leaned more heavily on the youngest man's chair. "But I'm bored," she breathed out in a voice like satin, smooth despite the fruity undertones. She flicked her wrist, the sphere rolling across the cobalt haired man's shoulders at a leisurely pace, turning his dull mocha eyes towards her as her own obsidian eyes seemed to glow, the garnent flakes all the more apparent in the flickering candlelight. "Aren't you bored as well, Siegrain-sama?" His dark eyes seemed to light up at her playful tone, the woman pushing herself back to her slippered feet at the sight of his almost twisted delight, something she was sure every other council member would brush off as the effects of the mahogany tattoo curling along the right half of his face.

"Yeah," he agreed, head turning forward with a devious expression, "I'm bored, too." He let out a sniggering breath as Ultear stalked threateningly behind his chair, like a predator waiting for the opportune moment to pounce on its prey, the crystal marble never once faltering as it created a new orbit around both of the youngest council members. "I hope someone will cause some kinda trouble."

"Watch your mouth!" an elderly man snapped furiously, the everpresent bat ornament on his head bobbing as he slammed his hands on the table. "How could these brats become council members?!" He was positively fuming, not even his well manicured mustache and the long beard hiding his grim expression, both of his shaded eyes open and glaring despite his preference to keep one eye closed, usually the one closest to light, due to his shadow based magic.

"'Cause we have a lot of magic power, old man," Siegrain hummed out almost condescendingly, obviously attempting to goad the man on. He was smirking, knowing full well by the quickening of the marble's orbiting that Ultear was preparing her ever dangerous magic to defend him, if need be, as the man began a shout while shoving his chair behind him.

A loud booming silenced the room once more, the marble disappearing into the folds of Ultear's dress as the tassels on the end of the chairman's staff chimed together inaudibly. "Silence, both of you," an imposing man with a pewter grey beard called out, his voice as piercing as his glare. "The magical world is always filled with many problems, but we especially want to take care of the idiots of Fairy Tail."

* * *

Through the haze of nausea and dizziness, the teenager was nearly positive that he could smell the salty sting of the sea, though the idea seemed unlikely as he slumped back against the wooden wall of the train and struggled to even out his gasped breaths. Sweat had long since beaded on his clammy skin, drenching the hem of his coat and the roots of his spiked punch hair, and his stomach gave another fluttering roll as the last of the passengers exited the train, causing the entire car to rock. After a couple minutes, a rather timid looking man approached him hesitantly, something he could hear over the ringing in his sensitive ears and see through his enhanced vision, which was currently curling around in bizarre ways. "Excuse me, sir?" a reedy voice stuttered out, the conductor anxiously fiddling with his hat. "Are you okay?" Opening his mouth to reply, he merely gagged for a moment as a passing worker bounced the cart to the tune he was humming, sparing only a pitying glance towards the boy.

"Aye," his cerulean furred companion cheered out instead, waving off the curious eyes as the feline glanced from the boy slumped against the wall to the worried crew. "This happens all the time. He just needs a minute to recover." Giving a hesitant nod, the conductor moved out onto the train's platform, calling for Akane passengers to board the train.

"Impossible," the male struggled to gasp out as he dry heaved. "I will never ride a train again!"

Ignoring his usual antics, the cat began his towards the door that passengers had finally stopped flooding through, the quaking leaving the rosy haired boy to lean out of the window and vomit. "If the memo we got is correct, then Salamander should be in this town," he chirped out jovially, glancing back to see the boy draped pitifully over the sill of the window. "C'mon, Natsu. Let's go!"

"Let me rest for a while," he gasped out around shuddering breaths, the feline bobbing a shrug and making it on onto the platform as he muttered his assent. Not a moment after he turned back around, the train began rolling once more, the rosy haired boy screaming for help from his cerulean companion as the device picked up speed and disappeared from sight.

* * *

A certain pang of longing filled her chest as she watched the bystanders go about their days, a young couple clasping hands and strolling down the cobblestone street, a father plucking his young daughter off of the ground and settling her on his shoulders when the uneven pathway nearly made her fall, the mother giggling as the infant in her arms cooed incomprehensibly. Taking a deep breath and praying that her well practiced smile would hide the bitterness in her smoked topaz colored eyes, she turned the round orbs to the shop she was standing in front of once more. _Magic Store 3ZX3_ , a council funded magic shop that held the same average trinkets as every other government run magic shop, and yet she had gone nearly three months without any new magical trinkets, not since that color magic came out and she somehow got tricked into purchasing it with the promise that her outfit would look lovely in orange- it didn't. Rolling her shoulders back in a show of confidence, she strode into the tiny store, which was cramped and cluttered with dust lining each shelf and a fossil of an old man manning the counter. "Hello," he croaked out slowly, a fatigued grin crossing his dry lips. "Welcome to Hargeon's magic store. Is there anything I can help you with, missy?"

"There's only one magic shop in this town?" the golden haired teenager asked without really thinking it over, sure that any other store would surpass this broom closet that was desperately in need of a good cleaning and organizing.

"Well, yes," the elderly man began, his tremulous voice taking longer to get out. "This town is more prosperous in fishing than magic to begin with. In fact, only less than ten percent of the townspeople can use magic, so this store is mainly targeting travelling mages." She didn't want to be any ruder than she had been already, sure that the etiquette teacher she had grown up with would have a heart attack if she had just seen the blonde- though that could be said about most of the people she grew up with, if she were being honest- so she turned around after giving a smile of acknowledgement to the old man's words, searching the shelves for anything worthwhile. "Please look around for anything you might like, missy. We have some new items, too." She winced slightly, knowing that he was about to pull out that damned booklet that she wanted to burn everyday after that whole orange outfit fiasco, so she settled in to translating the foreign titles lining the shelves. "This 'color's magic is probably the most popular one among girls. Depending on your daily mood, you can change the color of your outfit, like this." He proceeded to flip through the flimsy book, finding a color he liked and tapping it while shouting out its name, a plume of smoke hiding the shifting colors from prying eyes.

"I'm afraid I already own one," she apologized, shoving a couple foreign tomes into the crook of her elbow and quickly moving away from the books, knowing that she would spend the rest of her jewel here and be stuck doing jobs in a merchant guild if she stuck around. "I'm actually looking for some gate keys, preferably stronger ones."

His dark eyes flickered to her hip, where a ring of silver and gold keys, with decorative grips and customized teeth that couldn't possibly open a door, hanging from her belt. "Gate keys, huh? Now that's not very common," he said, pointing her towards the display case in the middle of the shop regardless. She sent him a grateful smile, moving towards the glass with purpose, and he found himself smiling slightly, glad that there was still some youth who could pull together some manners for a complete stranger, like him.

"Canis minor!" she suddenly gasped out, nearly dropping the thick books in her arms. She reached forward slowly, obviously not purchasing her first key seeing as she knew how to work the clear lacrima, and he felt his eyebrows furrow slightly when she allowed the crystal to swallow her wrist.

"That's not very strong at all."

She pulled her hand back, thumb smoothing lovingly against the key's ivory embellishment. "That's alright. I've been looking everywhere for it," she breathed out, face filled with pure joy. "How much would this come out to?"

"Thirty-thousand jewels," he said with a curt nod of his head, the close proximity giving the blonde the privilege of making out his boarish features, from snout to rosy skin.

"I wonder how much it is," she hurried out, hoping for a moment that it was merely the shock of his features hiking up the price. When he repeated the number, however, she allowed a sultry smile to come onto her lips, something she despised doing and loathed afterwards, when she felt prideful of her discounts and the praises she got from the male population. "I wonder how much it's really worth, dandy mister." She pressed the books against the underside of her breast, keys chiming as she shifted her hips, and her cleavage became all too apparent in her lowly zipped vest.

* * *

Slender arms curled around her waist, right hand switching out the freshly bought silver key for another one, this one housing a picture of a slitted eye on the ivory embellishment, the teenager whispering out her quick chant of, "Open gate of the northern dragon, Draco." Feeling the familiar weight settling on her shoulders, hidden beneath her golden hair and the shadows it casted, she clipped her key back into its spot on the bronze ring. "I can't believe it, Nyra." Icy scales brushed comfortingly along the side of her throat, helping her to fight away the humiliated and degrading thoughts that began circulating in her head. "I shamed myself for a measly three thousand jewel discount. That old geezer thought that my sex appeal was only worth three thousand jewels." She pursed her lips into a thin line, fighting away the tears that threatened to spill, reminding herself that they would get her nowhere good, and she quickly jumped back when a sudden pair of young women nearly knocked into her in their rush to join a growing crowd. "I wonder what's going on over there."

"A famous mage is in town!" a shrill voice squealed out from behind her, the blonde jumping to the side quickly to avoid the newest wave of fangirls stampeding towards the group. "It's Salamander-sama!"

"Salamander," the blonde gasped, topaz eyes lighting up like jewels as she spoke hurriedly to her companion. "He's a famous fire mage who can control fire with a magic that can't be bought in store! I've heard so much about him while I've been traveling, Nyra, and if he's in town, I can finally see what all the hype is about!" She took three steps towards the group before grimacing at the crowd, a spike of anxiety digging itself deeply into her heart, but she took a deep breath and tried to convince herself that everything would be fine, because what did it matter if it was a condensed population or bystanders on the street? "He's popular." She let out another shuddering breath, smiling softly as a slender tail brushed soothingly against her collarbone before dipping back into the shadows. "You're right, Nyra. Just a peek. It couldn't hurt."

* * *

An upturned nose wrinkled slightly, biting back a disgusted snarl as some local teenage boy passed by him, reeking of sweat and rotten foods, and the punch haired man quickened his steps slightly, determined to get out of the port town as quickly as possible because, despite liking fish, he didn't like the scent wafting off of the foreigners who had just come to port looking for a life in Fiore. "I can't believe you ended up riding the train twice, Natsu," a small voice said to his right, earning a quick glance from the teenager before his onyx eyes returned to the cobblestone pathway his leather soled shoes were scuffing against. "You're so bad with transportation." Fighting to reign in an angered snarl, he liked the feline far too much to scare him off after six years of persistent attempts at friendship, the man clicked his tongue irritably.

"I'm hungry," he declared apathetically, longing for the food he smelled from within the dinner up at the corner. Inky eyes turned up to him for a moment, a sympathetic look crossing his face that could only mean one thing.

"We don't have any money," the cat told him softly. He couldn't blame the feline for that, they had used up the jewels they had packed away for food on his tickets to and from Akane Beach. Silence stretched between them for a while, the rosy haired male following the snippets of conversations he overheard to navigate towards their goal, a moldy hay bale in the alley they were passing making his stomach roll nauseatingly and reaffirming his desire to leave. "Hey, Natsu, do you think they meant Igneel when they said Salamander, too? I mean, I can only think of Igneel when I hear Salamander." He hummed, the cat watching his expression intently, and it unnerved him slightly. He had worked hard to hide his emotions and thoughts from those around him, and yet this child of a magic cat could see though every barrier within seconds. "We finally found him!"

"Thanks, Haps," he said lowly, smoky voice affectionate as his eyes softened. "I feel a little better now."

"Aye, sir!" the cat chirped out, pleased with the rare praise. "And look! Speak of the devil!" They were staring ahead, a group of screaming, squealing, _fainting_ women sitting in between the pair and their objective. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Just a glance," she reminded herself, ducking around a flailing arm and whimpering when someone's elbow rammed into her side. She winced at what would likely be a new bruise before hurrying through the crowd, earning a collection of new bruises that would stain her pale skin for the next week at least, and the blonde had to wonder which deity she had insulted to be so abused just trying to catch a glimpse at her idol. Well, perhaps idol was a stretch, but the stories of his magic power and his raw determination had kept her going through the struggles of being an independent mage. When she finally broke through the crowd, she felt herself flush in embarrassment when the girls around her protested loudly at her interruption, though she forced her eyes up to see the admiral haired man with bronze skin and enchanting butterscotch eyes. He was waving at the crowd, blowing kisses and winks at the awestruck girls, and the blonde felt her heart skip a rather long beat as she studied his angular features.

"I'm had," the man chuckled out, brushing his thumb against the cheek of a girl across the circle from the blonde. "I can't continue like this." All she could think was how attractive his voice was, thick and flowing like honey with a cool undertone that made her knees quiver. He shot her a confident smirk, the look making the teenager whine in a kind of longing she didn't understand, though talons dug sharply into the skin of her shoulders, snapping her back to her right mind as she tried to work through the fog of emotions. She was analyzing everything, the words flowing through her head making her dizzy as she tried to sort them out, and yet she found the mix of languages describing different parts of this Salamander was too thick for her to break through.

"Charm," a silken voice purred in her ear, the familiar, if not unusual, voice of her companion spirit snapping her back to her senses in time to look at the man's fingers. Gold, silver, bronze, and an assortment of gems glittered, though the markings were clear as day; a ring for the attraction charm, more commonly known as charm, and a sleeping spell. Both of which were outlawed.

The once seductive look was now something out of a nightmare, horrifying and perverse, and she wanted nothing more than to sink back into the crowd and melt away from sight. "Igneel!" a young boy shouted somewhere in the crowd, coming front in front of the girl. "Igneel!" Salamander was almost in front of her now, heart fluttering like a caged bird, and she was beginning to feel cornered by this man and his mob of hussies. "Igneel!" All eyes turned to the shout, watching as a cerulean furred cat appeared, dancing over on his two hind legs, with a rather tall man following after him, a scowl taking over his defined features when his onyx eyes landed on the dark haired man steps in front of the blonde. "Who are you?"

It was quite a shock to see the feline talk, something that none of the charmed girls seemed to care about as they looked at the offended look on Salamander's face, something that was replaced rather quickly with a confident smirk and a flourished hand. "Perhaps you know me as Salamander," he said, voice honeyed and the danger all the more apparent to the celestial mage trying, once more, to slink back into the crowd and lose the eyes that seemed to snap back to her every few seconds. The cat heaved out a sigh, as if he was supposed to portray his partner's emotions, and turned to disappear between legs.

"C'mon, Natsu, this was just a waste of time," he whispered out, small voice quivering in disappointment, and the blonde's heart ached for him, leading her a grand two steps towards them before someone snatched him up by the scrap of his neck.

"Hey, you're so rude! Salamander-sama is a great mage!" she yelled in the animal's face, others around her joining, and the golden haired teenager hurried her steps to intervene, only for the rosy haired male to snatch up the cat and place him in his spiky locks, glaring heatedly towards the group who shrunk back out of self interest more than remorse.

"That's enough, girls," a disgustingly familiar voice cooed out in her ear, arms landing on her shoulders with surprising stability. "I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. The crowd cheered back and sang his praise, the heady atmosphere too much for the blonde to process so close to that sleep charm, trying weakly to duck out of his grasp and make a break through the crowd that had completely bypassed the man comforting his cat. A hiss sounded, the man on her squealing as he jumped back, and it took the blonde a moment to process that her guardian spirit had just bit the criminal, giving her a chance to escape the crowd. She wasted no time, diving into the masses and elbowing her way to the back in order to have a breath of fresh air, practically gasping it down in an attempt to remove the lingering haze over her mind.

"Thanks, Nyra," she panted, sinking to her knees as the chanting behind her dimmed. The dragon resting comfortably on her shoulders nudged her head to the left, showing her where the only other sane person had ended up with his cat, the celestial mage feeling her heart race at the thought of initiating conversation with such an intense person, though the low growl in her ear tore her from her musings and sent her stumbling to her feet. "Yeah, I'm on it." Dark eyes, seemingly pits of onyx until the sun highlighted the flakes of gold, ruby, and emerald and making it become a hazel color, snapped to her the moment she stopped walking, the feline in his arms to trembling, and she offered a sympathetic smile. "I saw what happened back there. I can't believe that charm could make people behave like such monsters." She moved her gaze from the cat, who had curiosity in his inky eyes, to the indifferent man and back again, strengthening her smile into something inviting, well practiced but kind all the same. "My name is Lucy. Would you care for some lunch or something?"

* * *

She hadn't been all that hungry in the first place, something she was grateful for when the cat began firing away his companion's order, so she merely ordered a vanilla latte, a treat she hadn't indulged in since Crocus, and settled down to wait for one of the strangers to strike up a conversation.

Which they didn't. "So," she began instead, earning the full attention from the other side of their booth table, "your names are Happy and Natsu?" She had overheard the pair bickering on the way over, though she had thought she was mishearing the cat's name until the man had whined it- she had to admit that his voice, all smoky and plenty attractive, was undeniably adorable when he whined. Nyra was still with her, the silver dragon having settled more comfortably around the back of her neck, and she had quickly realized that the spirit was curious about one of the strangers, not that she could blame her.

"Yeah," the feline, Happy, had answered her, watching the food as a parade of employees began to set it down like some feast. "And you're Luigi!" She bit her tongue to keep from seething, frustration overriding her social anxiety for a moment, and she took a long moment before correcting him.

"Lucy, not Luigi." After another period of silence, she let out a defeated sigh, leaning against the wall of the booth and pulling her feet up onto the cushion, a thick book and a pair of dainty reading glasses coming from her tiny bag and being nooked and nestled in their correct places. The rosy haired man watched her for a moment, topaz doe eyes skimming through the foreign text with the ease of a fluent speaker and the speed only enchanted reading glasses could manage, and he tried to catch her scent yet again to come up blank. He had thought it had been the overpowering smell of perfume from before, and even now he could write it off as the food in between them, but even on the walk over, she hadn't left any trail to follow. It was annoying him, he tended to judge a person on their smell first and foremost, so to be so blind to what smells she carried was utterly unnerving. Even her book, from Desierto if the spiced scent and scribbled text was enough to go by, had lost the overwhelming scent the moment it had entered her personal space, leading him to believe that she had some kind of enchanted item hiding her scent.

He hesitantly decided to learn more about her one way or the other, if only because the call of her golden hair was compelling him to hoard her. "You must be a pretty strong mage to break the hold of charm all by yourself," he drawled slowly, shocking her into jumping slightly on the bench. He fought back a laugh at her skittish behavior, watching her fumble to mark her page and shove both the tome and her glasses into her purse once more, the man finally noticing a small key symbol, a few shades lighter than her own porcelain skin, on the base of her thumb.

"Oh, I'm nothing special," she argued, closing up the surprisingly flat bag once more. "Actually, it was my guardian who told me that he had charms on his fingers. I'd be a goner without her." She reached up, fingers smoothing over something hidden behind her lengthy hair, before smiling almost solemnly. "I'm not even strong enough for a guild yet." She waved off the obvious questions that were gathering in his mind, startling him for a second given she had just met him and treated him almost as familiarly as Happy would, before weaving her fingers together and propping her chin on the backs of her hands. "Hey, weren't you guys looking for someone earlier?"

"Igneel," the rosy haired man answered curtly, startling the blonde once more with his smooth voice. "A dragon who adopted me when I was a kid."

"A dragon?" she inquired amusedly. "Why would the first dragon in centuries show up to Hargeon of all places? Besides, wouldn't a dragon sighting be far more broadcasted?" The pair before her looked a mixture of shock and defeated acceptance, making her amusement fall off of her face and confusion to take its place. "Neither of you thought of that?" She waved it off quickly, not wanting to upset the man after he had just started talking to her, and settled herself more comfortably into the booth. "Enough about my thoughts. Tell me a little bit about yourself."

He was silent for a long while, making the blonde shrink back and take a distracting sip of her latte, before the cat finally spoke up. "He's not every talkative," Happy assured her softly. "In fact, I've never heard him talk to a stranger so much before!" She figured it had to be a joke, he had hardly said five words to her after all, and yet she could imagine strangers straying from the intensity he seemed to radiate.

"I'll take that as a compliment, then," she said with a soft smile, finishing off her coffee and peeking outside. "I'd better get going, though. I have to pack up my hotel room. I don't think I'll be staying in Fiore much longer, after all." She laughed lightly, unaware of the panic Natsu's mind had just thrown him into at the thought of someone with gold hair disappearing to some unknown lands, and laid down a majority of her remaining jewels for the tab. "I hope this covers the meal. Please, stay as long as you'd like!" She was walking away after that, no scent to follow should he decide he liked her hair or silvery voice a little too much to forget, and he nearly sprang to his feet.

"Wait!"

"Thank you for the meal!" He had never thought he would curse Happy, let alone the manners that made up for the both of their rude habits, and yet there he was, fighting back a snarl as Lucy waved off their gratitude and disappeared through the door. "Natsu?"

"I hate my dragon instincts," he snarled before his forehead hit the table, scaring a few neighboring customers.

* * *

 ** _First and foremost, hello and thank you for reading my story. I've been writing a lot in my Google Drive and just not posting it, but this is definitely a story I've wanted to get out for a while now._**

 ** _To begin, this kind of dabbles with the whole "Natsu being raised and trained by Acnologia" thing without really giving Natsu Chaos dragon slaying, because Acnologia is a dragon slayer himself and I don't know how the technicalities work for that whole thing. Instead, this is "Acnologia trained Natsu secretly on the side for like a year before Igneel found out" story, because Acnologia is a major bad guy and I don't see Igneel ever filling that space. Besides that, I get that Natsu's lovable for being able to be all bright and cheery despite his abandonment issues, but it's kind of unrealistic._**

 ** _On account of Lucy, this is what I feel she would have done to stave off depression and such, so she's more book smart and learned several simple forms of magic while also becoming fluent in some languages._**

 ** _Again, this is just how I think things would happen and I'm really excited to get this out there. So please, review and let me know what you think._**

 ** _Thank you!_**

 ** _Song for this chapter: Dark Times by Ed Sheeran and the Weeknd_**


	2. Chapter two

**Chapter two**

She had fully intended to go straight to her hotel room and lock herself in her room until all of her bags were packed and she was ready to board the cheapest ship going anywhere outside of Fiore, but then she had seen the newest edition of _Sorcerer Weekly_ on the newstand by a gorgeous park and decided to do a little reading before the sun set completely. Of course, a little reading turned into fantasizing about joining Fairy Tail, which lead to her back to questioning her decision to leave Fiore. On one hand, she could begin a life in new lands full of adventure and struggles, and on the other, she could embarrass herself in front of her dream guild and ruin her life further or she could find a new family that accepts her for who she is. Heaving out a deep sigh, she turned her attention to the dragon still hidden in her hair and whined out, "Why can't someone just choose for me?"

"Choose what?" Salamander hummed out, popping up from behind her bench and scaring the daylights out of her. He was as slimy as she remembered, the charms still on his fingers and still attempting to reach into the depths of her mind, to bend her to his will. "Oh, I see you're looking at Mirajane. Interested in the Fairy Tail guild, are you?"

"A little," she mumbled out, despite the warning hiss in her ear. "Not that it matters, anyways."

He leaned his arms against the back of the bench, watching the blonde scoot away from him in discomfort though ultimately uncaring about it. "I could help you, ya know," he said lowly, almost certain that he heard a growl from the blonde but shrugging it off. "Have you ever heard of Salamander of Fairy Tail?" Defeated shoulders slumped down, the blonde pouting as she folded up her magazine to store away in her enchanted bag.

" _You_ are Salamander of Fairy Tail?" she asked in disbelief before a sigh pushed past her lips. "Of course you are. Don't take this as anything less than gratitude, but I'm going to have to decline. You're a creep. Who uses charm magic on innocent bystanders? Especially when it's outlawed."

"Can you blame a man for wanting to be a celebrity at his own party?" he crooned out, earning a bland look from the woman that made him inch away from her. "Listen, if I'm being honest with you, I need a date for tonight, and it would be great if I had such a beautiful mage like you there. Besides, you seem far more responsible than some of the girls that have been throwing themselves at me, but I suppose I could take one of them instead."

Against her better judgement, if only for whatever defenseless girl he had his eyes on, she stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine!" Lucy shouted, wincing as the dragon around her neck nipped her shoulder. "I'll go to your stupid party."

His wicked grin made her shiver, though he merely chanted out, "Great! Be at the docks at eight! And dress up!" before spiraling away in a flare of violet flames.

"Perfect," she hissed, turning on her heel and stalking off to her hotel to shove her things into her bag, because who knew when she'd get home.

* * *

Dark eyes scanned the city below, as if praying for a glimmer of gold to guide him to the strange girl he had met that day, and yet he could only just make out the shapes of pedestrians moving through the city in the shadows of tall buildings and dim lighting of flickering lanterns. "Man, I'm stuffed," Happy chirped out, balancing on the railing separating the mountain path leading out of town from the valley the buildings were placed in. Once more, both of their eyes were drawn towards the gleaming boat in the harbor, a faint churning taking over the roset's stomach at the thought of being aboard the ship. "That Salamander guy said that he was having a party aboard a yacht. Do you think that's it?"

"Look," a jade haired girl cheered out, dragging her friend to the railing a few meters over and pointing towards the ship. "That's Salamander-sama's ship! Oh, and I wanted to go to that party, too!"

"Salamander?" her tawny haired friend hummed out inquisitively.

"You don't know about him?" the elder of the two gasped out, horrified. "He's that great mage that's currently in town. I heard he's from that famous Fairy Tail guild." Despite the sudden lurch of his heart and the steely look on Happy's face, Natsu tried to keep his thoughts straight, knowing that no one could drag his guild's name through the mud without consequences but also wanted nothing more than to search for that girl from before. Then, a flash of gold caught his eye and he cursed his rotten luck, trudging back towards the port with his feline in tow.

* * *

This so called necessity for a date had been a sham, not that Lucy had expected anything less, though the lavish room she was placed in so that she was separated from the other girls was a bit excessive. She was sure it was some insurance to keep her from telling them about charm, though she knew the effects of premature revelation and wouldn't risk it for the world. "So, Lucy," the admiral haired man purred out, sending chills down her spine. Another con to this whole fiasco was that Salamander, the big idiot he was, wouldn't leave her alone for a second. He was sitting across from her, two guards posted at each exit, and a mob of corrupted fan girls on deck, though she felt a comfort with Nyra, shrunken to the size of her pinkie, curled along the shell of her ear like some ornament- though even Lucy could admit that holding the silver gate open for over half a day was far from her best idea. "Pretty name."

"Thanks," she forced out with a smile. She was afraid to speak out against him, sure that he would have no qualms of replacing her with some prepubescent girl parading around in a miniskirt outside. She had to be one of the most decently dressed women aboard the ship, which was saying a lot considering the deep v neckline and the slit that ran from the top of her right hip to the bottom of the floor length, silk evening dress.

"Let's toast with a glass of wine," he demanded, pouring the mulberry liquid that matched her dress into two glasses with flourish.

"Don't you have to attend to the other girls?" Lucy tried weakly, nearly at her wits end after ten consecutive minutes with the man. He merely laughed off her question and took a sip of his own drink, which she frowned at.

 _"Levantar por levitación,"_ he chanted, the Boscan words making her stiffen. She knew the rumors of Bosco, knew that only two kinds of mages were brought up in the country beside Fiore; the people gifted with magic they could use to improve their lives through hard work, even where money failed them, and the people who stole anything they could get their hands on for even a chance at life out of poverty. "Try opening your mouth so that I can feed you pearls of wine." Judging by the charms decorating his fingers, she knew the kind of Boscan mage he was.

She smacked the beaded liquid out of the air, stains splattering against the pale carpet and wooden floors, though neither of their eyes shifted in the slightest. "What are you planning?" she hissed. "You have a sleeping charm on your finger, and you use Boscan based spells?"

"Oh," he cooed out mockingly, "you've got me all figured out, don't ya?" His features darkened and her heart stopped, icy fear racing along her spine. "You're a bad girl, Lucy. If you were to just sleep peacefully, you wouldn't have to get hurt." Massive hands clamped around her frail arms, yanking and twisting painfully as panic made the words around her slur together and the room to spin as more unconscious girls were dropped unceremoniously on the ground. "Welcome to our slave ship! Though I must ask that you stay quiet until we reach Bosco." She didn't waste a moment, ripping her arm painfully away from one man and making to grab her keys from the garter around her thigh, only to have Salamander steal it first. "Celestial keys. Unfortunately, they're of no use to me as the spirits only answer to their master." She watched, horrified, as he threw the keys out of the window nearby, the metal glimmering in the abundance of light coming from the ship before they disappeared from view.

"Nyra!" Lucy yelled, the dragon taking off without a moment's hesitation, growing larger once outside and making the blonde crumpled to the floor with the sudden magical exertion. She couldn't fight back as hands shifted the low back of her dress, couldn't move as a heat came steadily closer to her bare skin, a brand her mind reminded her after a moment, having seen the iron pulled from the fire moments before, and she couldn't even hear what was happening over the ringing in her ears. Splintering wood rained down on her, shocking her from her anxiety induced comatose, and she raised her hands to protect her face from the shards as a heavy thud rocked the ship, a broken smile falling across her lips at the familiar head of rosy hair from earlier in the day. "Natsu."

"Lucy," he sighed out in relief, eyes moving to the glowing brand not even a meter from her body. His eyes narrowed, fighting off the insufferable rolling of his stomach as he lurched forward, snagging her wrist and giving her a sharp tug towards him, to keep her away from the hoard of men when he collapsed if nothing else, though the scent that radiated so clearly from her now hit him in a crashing wave. It was delicate, something light and sweet and _chilling_ at the same time, like stardust and honey, or maybe it was strawberries and creme. He found himself melting into it, nearly forgetting about the enemies in front of them in order to pull her into him and take in as much of that scent as he could before it inevitably disappeared again. Then, the ship rocked, his stomach knotting up with the movement, and his knees buckled as his mind went hazy, thin arms curling around his waist and holding him upright.

"Motion sickness?" she croaked out, folding slightly under the added weight and her own magical exhaustion. "Nyra!" Silver scales glinted in the light, a bronze ring of valuable keys falling into her hand as the dragon reclaimed her spot on Lucy's ear. She maneuvered expertly, somehow getting Natsu to hold his own weight against her while she was free to use both hands, and held her empty hand before her. _"Gyōshuku suru!"_ He watched, entranced, as her hand supported an orb of water, quivering with exertion but managing well. She thrust the ornamental teeth of the key into the water, the sphere quivering and deflating slightly. "Open gate of the water bearer, Aquarius!" Within a moment, a towering figure was before the blonde, a large cerulean tail decorated with golden rings twisting idly from side to side, and she could drop the ball of water.

"You're such a needy kid," the sky haired mermaid chided, her voice low, fruity, and as indifferent as her face. "But I suppose I'll be compliant this one time since you've learned that water spell decently." The vase in her hands began glowing, Happy slowly lowering from his perch above the ship to settle on Natsu's head, and the waves outside became restless. "Just, let me tell you one thing, brat. If you drop your keys again, I will kill you." A sudden force smashed into the side of the ship, the blonde yelping as Natsu was ripped from her arms and she was sent flying helplessly into Aquarius's arms as the silver decoration on her ear disappeared, water spraying all around and people flying every which way as the yacht began to crumble.

When all was still again, the rosy haired man stumbled to his feet, eyes flickering from the cat latching onto the heavily panting, rather pale, blonde to the gang pulling themselves together. "Ya okay, Luce?" he called back, eyes turning towards her spirit when she didn't immediately answer more than a weak nod and quivering breaths.

"Stupid girl used up too much magic," the mermaid replied haughtily, using the delicate fin of her tail to land a powerful smack to the celestial mage's head. "She'll be fine with some rest." Without another word, the water spirit disappeared in a shower of stardust, her voice lingering even as she disappeared. "Don't call me for a while, brat. I'm going on a trip with my boyfriend for a week." She nodded in a daze, dark eyes sending a quick glance to the feline, who nodded in understanding, and Natsu turned his attention back to the band of slavers eyeing the newest addition to his hoard like she was a piece of meat for them to fight over.

His face became deadly serious at that, chucking the coat he had worn for the soul purpose of protection from the ocean breeze off to the side, Happy scrambling to drape it around the shivering celestial mage's shoulders as a weak attempt at warmth. "Brat, you shouldn't get on other people's ships without permission," Salamander said with too much confidence in his voice. "Throw him out! Quickly!"

"Natsu," a weak voice croaked out, trembling fingers moving to grab a key only to have a paw stop her.

"We may have forgotten to tell you that Natsu's a mage, too," Happy said, semi apologetically. "He can handle everything from here." She nodded, slumping back against the crooked wall slightly, and slender arms welcomed the warmth that settled in her lap a moment later.

"So, you're a mage of Fairy Tail?" a smoky voice snarled out, thinly veiled anger tainting his tone. "Let me see ya real close." His right hand swung in front of him, knocking two brutes easily a head taller than him together and sending them flying, everyone aboard the ship stiffening as a crimson mark came into view, decorating his tanned shoulder. "I'm Natsu from Fairy Tail and I ain't never seen ya before!"

"Fairy Tail?"

"That mark!"

"He's real Bora-san!"

"Bora," the blonde hummed out slowly, fingers raking through cerulean fur distractedly. "Bora of Prominence, a mage banned from the guild Titan Nose several years ago for committing several thefts and other crimes relating to magic."

"I don't care if you're a bastard or a saint," the rosy haired man growled out. "I can't forgive ya for using the Fairy Tail name!"

Bora threw his feet apart, hand flying out towards the younger man, and he shouted out, "Whatever, you're just a noisy brat! _Llamarada púrpura!_ " That strangely colored, dark purple, fire shot out towards Natsu, engulfing him in an inferno, and Happy nearly lost hold of the blonde as she threw herself forward to attack, both his tail and his paws gripping her as he grew open his wings necessary to keep her in place. Not even a moment before she opened her mouth to yell at the feline, the fire began to fold in on itself, curling into the center of the flames until the outline of Natsu eating the flames appeared.

"I've never tasted such awful fire," he burped out in the end, a ghosted smirk directed at the blonde when she fell back to her knees in shock. The group of men went wild, screaming out like terrified children, and the blonde found herself strangely numb to everything transpiring as the man sucked in a comically large breath, hands fisted one over the other and raising to touch his pursed lips.

"Could he be?" a Frankenstein's monster looking man hummed out before his features grew panicked, tears leaking down his cheeks and sweat beading on his skin. "Bora-san, I've seen him before! Rosy hair and a scale like scarf! There's no doubt! He's the real Salamander!"

Burning flames, gold and sunset orange with flecks of cyan and garnet shining brightly, shot out of Natsu's mouth with a call of, "Fire dragon's roar!" Grown men went flying through the air, the pair behind him watching in varying degrees of awe and pride. "Remember this lesson well." He was standing above Bora, poised ready to strike and magic crackling through the air. "Fire dragon's iron fist!"

"Eating fire and punching with fire," the blonde spoke quickly, mind whirling in fatigue and understanding. "Dragon slaying, a lost magic. It was originally a dragon interception magic that gave the user dragon's lungs, scales, and nails." She looked down at the impressed feline, flushing slightly at the look he was giving her. "I've studied the lost magics as much as I have the common ones. An ancient spell that converts a human body to a dragon's constitution would naturally peak my curiosity."

"This is what Igneel taught Natsu."

A small giggle escaped the blonde, shocking Happy into gaping, which she took as curiosity. "Isn't it weird that a dragon would teach someone dragon interception magic?" she asked softly, watching the flames dance around buildings and piles of defeated bodies appear on the sand of the port. "It's amazing, regardless, but I think he's overdoing it. The port's all messed up."

"What's all this ruckus?" a deep, booming voice echoed through the streets, making the golden haired mage freeze up, recognizing the Rune Knights for what they were. A moment later, she was hefted up over a broad shoulder, watching tied off harem pants and leather sandals as the man holding her, Natsu she guess considering the strange ensemble, ran away from the military.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked lightly, fumbling to snatch his jacket out of the air when it brushed off of her shoulders. She couldn't deny that the warmth radiating off of his body was appealing and her body was begging her to drift to sleep and replenish her magic, but Fairy Tail mage or not, he was a stranger.

"Ya wanted ta join Fairy Tail, right?" he asked. Suddenly, all thoughts of walking away from the guild seemed unbearable, this stranger who had effortlessly defeated a band of slavers carrying her own magic depleted self to the guild of her dreams a reminder that not all guilds are power crazed.

So she nodded, laughing out a quick, "Yeah," as the burning port disappeared from view.

* * *

"Those idiots at Fairy Tail have done it again!" an elderly woman shouted, slamming a newspaper down onto the granite table of the council room before taking her seat. "They destroyed half the port! Can you believe it?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if a town went missing one day," Ultear poked for fun, earning scandalized looks before the man closest to her, Hogg, gave her a rather crazed look.

"Don't jinx it," he pleaded in a wavering voice. "I feel like they really might do that."

"Anyways," Gran Doma said, "I've reported to the government that they did it to arrest the criminal Bora." Murmurs of disagreement circled the room until Siegrain weaved his hands together and propped his chin on them, a bright smile plaguing his face.

"I like those idiots, though," he chirped out, the man across from him slamming his palms on the table and shooting up.

"Shut up!" Org snarled, bat ornament becoming slightly askew.

Completely ignoring the outburst and the scathing looks from around the room, the blue haired man continued. "It's true that they're a bunch of idiots, but they also have a lot of skilled mages. That's why we're at this loss. A tricky subject, indeed." He let the room lapse into theatrical silence for a moment, hooded hickory eyes watching each face until he came across Ultear, smiling that twisted smirk of hers, and he broke the silence. "I say, let them be." The uproar was deafening, the youngest pair waiting calmly for the other eight to settle themselves. "If we didn't have idiots like them, this world wouldn't be fun." For the first time that day, the council pulled into one of their rare moments of agreement, Gran Doma looking hurriedly for the next topic that needed to be discussed.

* * *

 ** _Hello again! I would like to thank EAsis, Alerssa, and Littlest1 for the reviews, and everyone else for reading/following/favoriting. It means a lot! Also, a special thanks to Littlest1 for bringing up Draco, because I really wasn't sure about adding any original characters, but I also have been thinking about Draco as a guardian spirit for a long time._**

 ** _If anything is unclear, please ask me either through reviews or PM. If I have questions in reviews, I will answer in the author notes at the end of the next chapter. Also, if there are reviews and I have another chapter ready, I'll probably post it._**

 ** _Thanks again!_**

 ** _Song for this chapter: Downtown by Anitta and J Balvin_**


	3. Chapter three

**Chapter three**

Damp silk clung to her body rather uncomfortably, and the grimy seat cushion of the train on her thigh certainly didn't change that for the better. "I'm going to go change before we get going. Would either of you like anything?" she asked, turning her attention to the cat and the man, who already seemed to be struggling to keep down his dinner. When Happy shook his head, she made her way to the bathroom, peeling off the gown and slipping on a pair of cotton shorts and a comfortable tee shirt. Deciding to leave on her strappy mahogany heels, if only to get back to their booth sooner, she reshouldered her bag and hurried back to her seat, wincing sympathetically towards the dragon slayer. "Is there anything I could do to help?" He bobbed his shoulders in a shrug, a bead of sweat making its way down his temple as the train rocked slightly, and Lucy slowly took the seat next to him. "You could lay down on my lap if you want. I know how gross these seats are and I wouldn't want my face on them."

He was silent, deliberating taking up her offer and getting some sleep or watching over the booth while she did, but her scent was still there, teasingly light in comparison to the bile in the back of his throat, so de decided that a distraction would be nice. "Thanks," he rumbled out slowly, dropping his head to lay on her thighs. The moment the smell she carried with her, definitely stardust he had determined after seeing her magic though that wasn't the part he was particularly debating, overpowered the bitter stench of throw up, he felt himself relaxing. He'd never had a solution to motion sickness before, whining pitifully when he was a kid, slumping around obnoxiously when he was in his adolescent years, and now suffering through it with as much dignity as he could manage, but he never would have thought that distraction was the answer. Then, dainty fingers with long nails began combing through his hair, a purr almost spilling from his lips as her blunt nails massaged his scalp.

"I've never had motion sickness," she admitted through a yawn, "so I don't know what helps or not, but I'll do the best I can if you let me know what works or not." A glimmer of fondness shot through him, Natsu pressing his head more firmly into her legs to hide the flush that began to spill over his pale face.

"This helps," he finally said, sighing out when she carded her fingers through his hand again. "Thanks." A couple minutes later, her hand slowed to a stop and her breathing began to even out, the feline who hand take the bench across from them sniggering slightly.

"She fell asleep," he giggled out, and the dragon slayer found himself following soon after.

* * *

When she woke up, her legs were asleep and she had a kink in her neck, leading her to wince at the upcoming walk. Then, she remembered why her legs were asleep, glancing down to see Natsu with most of his body draped over the edge of the seat and a rather serene look on his face, something that nearly made her laugh considering how fluidly he had fought yesterday and his rather intense disposition. "Good, you're up!" Happy cheered out quietly, but no less enthusiastic. "You can wake up Natsu, then, and I'll get his bag!" Without leaving her with an option or a time frame, he zipped off through the door, and she took a quick peek out of the window to see they were already stopped at Magnolia Station.

"Hey, Natsu?" she hummed out softly, prodding at his shoulder lightly. "We're at Magnolia and Happy told me to wake you up." He shifted slightly, twisting his head around to face her through his sleep. "Natsu, we're here." Another poke to his cheek sent him crashing to the ground and sitting up with a glare on his face. "Are you alright?" She squatted down, squealing when pins and needles took over her limbs, and her back smacked rather painfully into the bench. "We're in Magnolia. Happy's getting your bag," she groaned out slowly, hands slowly rubbing at her sore back, which she was sure had a bruise from yesterday, that had just been further abused.

Despite the sour look still decorating his face, she could practically feel his amusement towards her misfortune like some twisted payback enacted by the universe. "What was that?" he asked, standing fluidly in a way that made her pout with a flush on her cheeks.

"Nothing," she grumbled out, crossing her arms and redirecting her attention to her bag, strap dangling off of the bench. Still seeing his feet in the corner of her eye, she cautiously looked up to where he was holding an almost reluctant hand out towards her. "I'm fine, really. My legs are just asleep." Nevertheless, she took the offered hand and slowly pulled herself to her feet, wincing at the pain the pressure added and snatching up her bag.

"Ya can rest at the guild hall," Natsu said just before they exited the compartment, quickly moving to exit the train since, judging by his paling complexion, his motion sickness was starting to hit again. By the guild hall, she remembered with a bright smile, he meant Fairy Tail.

When she reached the boarding platform, the dragon slayer was shrugging on his backpack and Happy was watching the pair with interested eyes, wondering why Natsu wasn't pouting and growling about having to wake up. "So," he drawled out accusingly, watching Lucy attempting to shake out the pinpricks, "what took ya guys so long?"

"Lucy fell on her ass," the rosette replied blandly, the blonde gaping incredulously at him. "Had ta help her up."

"You were the one who slept on my lap all night," she argued with a hint of embarrassment in her tone. "Besides, you could have just left me. I know how to stand up on my own." Despite the teasing lilt and playful roll of her eyes, the Fairy Tail mages felt their eyes drawn into her face, looking for a trace of real emotions, though she quickly waved off the suddenly heavy atmosphere and readjusted the strap of her bag. "Shall we go?" Smoked topaz eyes turned to the two, eyeing them strangely when they didn't move in order to keep staring at her with that almost pitying look, and she screwed the smile more firmly on her face and took the lead. "I suppose you both expect me to know the way. I'm afraid to tell you that we'll all end up lost if you follow me around."

"I'll show you the way," Happy said, voice lacking it's usual upbeat undertones as he sprouted a pair of angelic wings and began down the street. He had a forced smile on his face, trying not to dwell on how _lonely_ Lucy must have felt to be able to make jokes about it, and the blonde seemed to appreciate the effort.

They were making quick work of the town that stood between the train station and the guild, the celestial mage hardly even noticing as she chatted with the cat about something or another, the feline waving to friendly townspeople. When they finally stopped before the second largest building in Magnolia, the first being Cardia Cathedral, she froze in amazement, staring up towards the onion shaped roofs and three massive stories with owlish eyes. "It's huge," she breathed out anxiously.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Happy called out, flying towards the towering double doors and pressing against one of the wooden planes, tangerine paint chips flaking to the ground. Of course, being the dramatic animal he is, the feline only made noises of exertion and looked back at the dragon slayer until he heaved out a sigh.

"Fine," he grumbled out, unenthused, before kicking open both doors with a well placed kick. "We're home!" His voice carried through the room that was equal parts enormous and loud, greetings and cheers ringing through the air as Happy zipped off, searching for something. A warm hand clasped around her wrist, dragging her through the crowded room, and she fought hard to keep up with his pace and dodge any debris or people falling away from the tables they wove between. "Mira!"

"You overdid it again, Natsu," a nasally voice chuckled out from the table ahead of them. "I read about the Hargeon incident in the… newspaper…" He had hardly finished the word before a foot crashed into his face, the blonde hardly jostling despite his hand latched onto her arm.

"Ya gave me false information on Salamander," he chided darkly as he walked away from the unconscious man, oblivious to the rather horrified look gracing the blonde's features.

Somehow, a large brawl broke out behind the pair, a snowy haired barmaid waiting for them at the counter and smiling welcoming when they arrived. "Welcome home, Natsu. Now that you're back, perhaps we'll have to rebuild the guild sooner than planned, hm?" she teased lightly, sapphire eyes flickering to the blonde, heart aching slightly at a look she remembered from her own childhood. "Hello, I'm Mirajane Strauss."

"Lucy," the blonde breathed back, extending her unoccupied arm to greet the fair haired woman. "Just Lucy." The loneliness struck almost painfully, the words she had read from Mirajane over the past year making her choke up on emotions, though she drew comfort from the man beside her.

"Luce wants ta join the guild," Natsu cut in swiftly, settling down on one of the empty bar stools, hand finally slipping away from her skin when he noticed the possessive action. Nearly the moment he let go of her, however, trouble came hunting.

"Hey, Natsu!" an inky haired man parading around in a pair of boxers shouted. "Let's settle our fight from last time!" Lucy began to flush, doe eyes quickly averting to stare helplessly at the rosy haired man, who cracked a fond smile that didn't go unnoticed by the barmaid, until a hickory haired woman slammed down a barrel of ale.

"Gray, have you really been walking around like that?" she slurred out indifferently, reminding the blonde of her water spirit. She clicked her tongue disappointedly when he screamed and began scrambling for his clothes. "Shame that you're just another one of those undignified guys." She promptly snagged the ale once more and began to chug it. The voices were becoming overwhelming, every other person challenging Natsu in one way or another, though one of the projectiles almost got him when it veered too close to the blonde, not that he'd ever admit it.

"What rubbish," a gravelly voice hummed out in contempt, earning a small squeal from the blonde when a man who towered at least two times her size stepped up behind her, oblivious to her presence. "Yappin' away in the middle of the day like this. Ya know we ain't little kids no more." He then threw an entire table into the crowd, earning a chorus of screams and enraged snarls. "Fight with fists like real men!" He was immediately thrown out of the crowd, causing the blonde to laugh nervously, though the noise only seemed to grow with each passing second.

She spun around quickly, pleading eyes locked onto Mirajane as she called out, "Should we do something to stop them?"

"Oh, don't worry about them," she cooed out with a breathtaking smile on her delicate features. "They do this all the time. Besides, isn't it fun this way?" A glass bottle almost instantly smashed against her forehead, shattering and leaving blood pouring down her temple as she crumpled to the ground.

While Lucy jumped behind the bar to make sure she was alright, Natsu joined the fray with a growl to his words and irritation in his eyes. Of _course_ Lucy almost got hit within her first twenty minutes in the guild and of _course_ she wouldn't realize it in favor of dashing off to be helpful. He started off with Gray, wincing when a carrot haired male snatched away his underwear as he went sailing towards the bar just as the blonde lifted her head, squealing in horror and dropping back to the ground. "Hey lady, could I borrow your underwear?" he asked casually, leaning against the bar to look down at her.

"No!" the celestial mage shrieked, her leg flying up to kick the dark haired male back into the ground, the power behind it making the nude male fall over completely and tumble for a moment.

"I'm terribly sorry," a suave voice purred from the barstool Natsu had previously occupied, the one who had snatched away Gray's underwear leaning against the counter. "People with no elegance are quite troublesome, don't you agree? By the way, which modeling agency do you belong to?"

"Are you serious?" Lucy inquired blankly, a little too uncomfortable around the playboy. The rowdy bunch only continued to chatter, even Mirajane with a concussion rising to the sound and beginning to wipe away splatters of her blood from the counter with a rag.

"It's far too noisy to drink in peace over here," the brunette from before snarled out, her fruity voice chillingly pleasant. "It's time to end this, guys!" The sudden stillness and flaring magic was worrying, even Mirajane murmuring out a small phrase Lucy couldn't even hear over the tension.

Just as everyone was about to charge, a giant's foot landed in the middle of the floor, crushing benches and shattering glass. "That's enough!" a booming voice roared out. "Cut it out, you fools!" The eerie stillness that spread through the guild was broken by a quick click of a tongue, Natsu making his way back over to the bar as Happy landed on the countertop.

"My, you were here this whole time, Master?" Mirajane cooed our sweetly, a flare of panic racing throughout the blonde at the knowledge that the giant was the Fairy Tail master.

"Oh, a newcomer?" that terribly large voice hummed out. All of the sudden, he began to shrink, the terrified blonde reaching shakily for any of the three she knew decently enough to trust. Just as she found Happy's tail, a tiny old man no taller than her hips hopped onto the counter, catching the mug of beer Mira handed to him. "It's nice to meet you," he said, a Midian accent hanging heavily in his voice. He jumped to the second floor banister, Lucy using the moment out of attention to duck back around to stand beside the dragon slayer, something he wanted to boast about despite no one being able to possibly understand how much it meant to him to have the newest addition to his hoard- he scolded himself mentally for referring to her as such- choose to be by him. "You've done it again, fools! Just look at all of these documents the council's sent me!" He ruffled through the stack of papers in his hands, a few of the more mellow members wincing sympathetically. "First of all, Gray. Good job on sweeping out the smuggling organization, though you were seen walking around town naked afterwards. Then, you ran away after stealing clothes that had been hung out to dry."

"But wouldn't it have been worse if I were naked?"

Deciding to completely bypass the question, though someone made some snarky reply under their breath regardless, he carried on. "Elfman, you had a mission to escort a very important person, but you ended up assaulting him during the mission!" The ridiculously tall man with snowy hair and bronze skin looked dejected at the insult to his mission, though remained silent regardless. "Cana, drinking fifteen barrels of expensive alcohol and charging it to the council's tab?" The brunette muttered curses under her breath. "Loke, flirting with council member Elder Reiji's granddaughter along with a certain modeling agency charging us for damages." That pretty boy, the one who had spoken a tad too proper to really fit in at Fairy Tail, hung his head and sheepishly ran his hand through his lengthy hair. "And Natsu, you destroyed the Devon thief family, but ruined seven civilian houses as well, leveled a historical clock tower in Tully Valley, burnt down a church in Freesia, damaged parts of Lupinus Castle, collapsed the Nazuna Ravine Observatory, which caused it to stop its observations, and destroyed half of Hargeon's port!" Unsurprisingly, really, the rosette didn't look the least bit apologetic, shrugging his shoulders as if he had been asked if he wanted water with or without ice- though that would probably get a bigger reaction out of him. "Alzack, Levy, Kurov, Reedus, Warren, Bisca, everyone." A deep sigh rang through the air, filled with stress and fatigue. "Guys, the council members are constantly angry with me." A tense silence filled the air, broken with a soft chuckle from the old man. "But forget geezers of the council!" The papers in his hand burst into flames, flying towards Natsu, who merely caught them and dug in with a sharp smile and pointed canines. "Listen up! The power to overcome reasoning is born from reasoning! Magic is not a miracle. When the spirit flow within us connects to the spirit flow in nature, they will form an embodiment for the first time. You will need a strong mentality and a lot of concentration for that." He paused, exasperated faces of orphans who had grown up hearing the same spiel every time a new member meandered in staring back at him with faces of wonder and pride sprinkled in the mix, even the rosy haired rebel hiding his smile behind the flames he was still nibbling on. "What I mean is that pouring all of your soul into whatever you do is the magic. If you keep worrying about the watchful eyes of the higher ups, your magic won't improve. Do not fear the fools of the council! Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail mages!" The deafening cheer was louder than the last, they always came up and congratulated him on his speech's energy afterwards, and he felt pride towards his enthusiastic children.

And for a moment, sidestepping a hamburger as if on instinct, Lucy felt at home for the first time in years, surrounded by rejoicing friends and supportive words. _That_ was what a family was meant to feel like.

* * *

"So, Natsu's called Salamander in other towns?" the buck toothed man who had given the dragon slayer false information, Kurov, asked Lucy. After hours of being tossed from person to person and flying through introductions with the entire guild, she had finally settled down beside the rosy haired man as he began stuffing his face with a large quantity of flaming foods. "It's true that his magic fits the description well."

"If Natsu is the Salamander, I want to be the Catmander!" Happy cheered out. Lucy was saved from explaining that that's not how it worked- Natsu wasn't a Sala, after all- when Mirajane waved her over to the other side of the bar, holding the guild stamp in her hand. She was practically skipping, despite sore legs, and the model giggled at her, holding up the bulky magic item.

"Where do you want it?" she hummed out sweetly, Lucy setting her right hand on the table, her palm flat against the wood. "You want it here?" The blonde didnt' let the confusion deter her, knowing that the women prefer their abdomens or legs for the mark, something that they could show off with scanty clothes, and nodded quickly.

"I want to see it, to remind myself that I've made it here," she breathed out, cheeks burning at the personal confession, and Mirajane nodded with new understanding.

The square fell on her hand, pressing a firm shape into her porcelain skin, and the barmaid instructed, "Just think of a specific color and the mark will match it." Within moments, a bubblegum pink mark was stained into her skin, her mother's favorite color, and the angelic woman behind the counter cooed. "There, now you're a part of Fairy Tail!" The blonde threw herself across the counter, her arms curling gratefully around Mirajane's waist, something that shocked the ivorette because in all her years of stamping, she'd never been hugged for it.

Without a moment to hug the girl back, she was off skipping back to her seat, holding her hand out for the group to see. "Natsu, look! Mirajane gave me my Fairy Tail mark!" she cheered out around a brilliant smile, his less than enthusiastic mumble making her face deflate quickly. "You know, for someone who dragged me here, you aren't as enthusiastic as I would have thought."

"Dragged her here?" Kurov sputtered out, choking on his ale.

"Where'd ya find such a cutey?" a visiting friend of the smoke mage, Wakaba, chimed out drunkenly, laughter coming from the tawny haired man beside him.

Smoke mingled with his words as Wakaba purred out, "I envy you. I wonder if she'd join my team." Ignoring them, the rosy haired male stood up and made his way towards the request board, ignoring the questions following him. He began scanning the board on the first floor, determined not to leave the blonde alone in the guild full of perverts and psychos.

"Let's choose one with a good reward!" Happy chimed out from the bottom of the board, smiling and sprouting wings to reach Natsu's eye level. "Oh, how about this one? One hundred and sixty thousand jewels for exterminating thieves!" A rough hand plucked the job from the board, looking over the job description until a small voice sounded from the bar.

"Is my daddy back yet?" a young boy asked softly.

The master scoffed lightly, twirling his well groomed mustache, around his bony fingers. "You're annoying, Romeo. If you're really the son of a mage, trust your father, be a good boy, and wait for him at home," he said.

"He said he'd be back in three days, but it's been over a week." Tears were spilling down the young boy's cheeks, breaking the newest mage's heart and holding the dragon slayer's attention. "His job's on Mount Hakobe, isn't it? It's not that far! Please send someone to look for him! I'm so worried!"

"No way!" the drunken master called back. "Your dad is a mage! We have no mage here who can't take care of himself, so go home and drink your milk or something!" The young boy lunged forward, punching the old man in the face, before sprinting away crying. Without a thought about not knowing the boy, she hurried after him with worry lining her features, followed moments behind by Natsu and Happy, a beefy man named Nab screeching in shock as a large crack appeared in the request board, the mission Natsu had been holding before stuck within it.

"Natsu!" Nab yelled over his shoulder, "Don't break the mission board!" When the rosy haired man didn't even spare a glance over his shoulder, leading his dark eyes to catch the new girl jogging after Romeo. "Master, Natsu and Lucy are gonna do somethin' bad! I bet they're gonna go help Macao!"

"Stupid boy influencing the new girl. If they do that, it'll only hurt Macao's pride!" a tawny haired sand mage, Max, called out from the back of the room. The old man, however, grinned.

"Just leave 'em alone," he scoffed out around his tobacco pipe, waving a hand to clear away their negative words. "No one can decide what they're gonna do."

"I just… what happened to the both of them?" a lapis haired pixie of a woman breathed out, slim eyebrows pulling together.

"The same thing happened to Natsu," Mirajane reminded them, voice soft and solemn. "Maybe he saw himself in Romeo-kun. And who can say anything for Lucy, especially since she's so new. Perhaps she has her own issues with abandonment and couldn't bare to see another child fall to it. We Fairy Tail mages are all carrying something." The guild was silent, everyone either deep in thought or pondering ideas about why the pair would have left, though silence never stayed in Fairy Tail.

"Two hundred jewels says Natsu gets laid before they get back!" Wakaba shouted suddenly, earning a scoff from Cana and beginning a guild wide argument over the pairs love life.

* * *

 ** _Hello again! I'm setting really high expectations for updates, I can promise it won't be a daily update or anything, I'm just so excited to see one of my stories doing so well, really. I mean right now, it already has 411 views and I'm so excited about it! So thank you everyone!_**

 ** _And honestly bless you,_ _Loso. The reason Natsu couldn't smell Lucy was because of Nyra. I don't know why, really, but I just had the strongest urge to give Draco the ability to mask scents, so I figure it'll be a good little tidbit if Lucy ever gets mad at Natsu or maybe when Gajeel is tracking her or something. I'm really not sure, but there's so much potential for it. _**

**_Littlest1 , you are a superstar! You know what to say to get me motivated for this story! Loso and Larissa, thank you both so much for not only great reviews, but pointing out that things that I hope people notice. I've worked hard on creating backstories, which will be revealed slowly throughout the story, and I'm glad that people are noticing and appreciating it. _**

**_Thank you all so much again! And thank you for putting up with any mistakes there are. I write most of the story on my phone, so autocorrect changes things and I try reading over before hand and my friend might start helping me with it, too, so hopefully it'll get better._**


	4. Chapter four

**Chapter four**

Tiny hands, trembling with a mixture of rage and fear, wiped desperately at the youth rounded face, attempting to clear his features of any traces of crying, though tears and snot still poured, making it difficult. "Hey," a silvery voice cooed from behind him, a stranger bearing the Fairy Tail symbol squatting in front of him quickly. "You don't have to cry. Why don't you tell me about what your father was doing on Mount Hakobe, and I'll go get him, alright?" For a moment, he was sure his nightly crying had sent an angel down to him, her golden hair falling to her waist like molten liquid and her smile sincere and serene, though he didn't allow himself to dwell on it for long.

"Daddy was taking a job," he sniffled out, cringing away from her understanding expression when he recalled why. "It was all my fault! I begged him to take a job to get the other kids to stop laughing at me, and he went to fight a bunch of monsters, and now he's missing!" Gentle hands ceases the scrubbing of his eyes, pulling his fists down to her lap and looking at him with surprising intensity.

"Don't you go blaming yourself for this," she chided in a voice that could rival Mirajane's, a deep look of knowing in her doe eyes. "Your father wouldn't have taken this job if he didn't think he could handle it, and he certainly wouldn't have picked just any job because you asked him to work. Sometimes, unexpected things happen, which is why I'll go make sure he's alright, okay? You just sit tight. I'll be back in a couple days at most." A large hand settled on the shaggy indigo hair, another pulling Lucy up slowly by her bicep, and both of them looked to see Natsu with a rather serious look on his face.

"Make it a day," he challenged, beginning down the street and tugging the celestial mage along with him. "Go eat somethin' from Mira, on me." He was pulling Lucy along, determined not to scold her for so recklessly agreeing to go fight, as Romeo had so eloquently put it, a bunch of monsters when the only time he'd seen her fight, she'd suffered from magic deprivation the entire night, since she wasn't his to worry about, no matter how much his draconic instincts argued that she was.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, as they were nearing the carriages to Mount Hakobe. "I know that you didn't need to come or anything, but it makes me happy to know I won't be alone on this. Besides, I think I trust you most out of everyone there." He turned to look at her in shock, noticing her rosy cheeks and averted eyes as her free hand dropped down to fiddle with the keys on her hip. "On top of that, I know you didn't have to take me, but I'm grateful you did that too." She groaned when she caught his eye, features growing hotter as her voice raised in pitch. "Ignore me, I'm rambling."

He felt a smile creeping on his face, turning around only to see Happy smirking slyly at them in a way that made the tips of his own ears turn red. "I'm layin' on your lap," he quickly stated, wanted to convey to her that he would have taken her regardless of the circumstances without delving into the greedy instincts that screamed at him to keep her within sight. Her sudden silence and the sniggering cat settling on his head told him she'd gotten the message.

* * *

When he had said that he was going to lay on her lap, she had immediately assumed that it would be like what little portions of the train ride she could remember, though the restless rosette somehow ended up with his head on her abdomen and his chest draped over her legs, though she wasn't quite sure how she ended up leaning at such an awkward angle. Maybe it had something to do with the arm wedged between her back and the wooden wall of the carriage. She let out a small sigh, using the one hand that wasn't trapped under one of the dragon slayer's legs- don't ask how, Lucy doesn't know either- she began rifling through the enchanted bag, the key mark on her hand allowing her access to the depths that stored every piece of her personal life. She wanted something warm, sure that the shorts would allow her legs to freeze off in the stormy heights of Mount Hakobe, but that only lead her to remember that she had to find somewhere to live, a house to keep her close to her new home, though she would definitely accept apartments or condos, even a roommate would be favorable. "Why are you making that weird face?" Happy asked suddenly, jolting the blonde from her thoughts.

"I'm thinking," she said, an edge of bite to her tone. "Perhaps you'd be used to it if you thought every once in a while, too." She would have felt bad for snapping at the cat if he hadn't been goading her on the entire trip. A gust of wind rocked the carriage, then, leading the cuddly rosette to gag and construct around the blonde, nose buried in her lower stomach as his arms squeezed her hips. She let out a small choking noise, flustered by his casual contact, before gasping in a deep breath. "I still have to look around Magnolia for somewhere to live, and who knows how long that will take. I just don't have the jewel to be spending on a hotel room until I can find somewhere."

"That's easy," the cat scoffed out. "Just stay with Natsu and me. We won't charge you or anything." Happy ignored the sudden attention the dragon slayer had diverted from his newest hoard piece, a scowl on his face as if the feline was plotting against his draconic instincts- which he probably was, if Natsu was being honest. "Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on the mission? I though you were supposed to be responsible." A sudden realization crossed the rosette's mind, the man reluctant to leave his position while wanting out of the nauseating box at the same time.

"It stopped," he groaned out, unweaving his arms from around the blonde and pushing himself up and twisting to sit on his own. Sympathetic eyes turned to him, Lucy standing slowly and pulling on a pair of threadbare sweats and an oversized jacket before offering him a hand, the blonde helping him to his feet with care that he wasn't used to.

He had to physically restrain himself from collapsing onto her back when another gust of wind rocked the carriage, stumbling over his feet- or maybe that was Happy- and falling face first into a bank of snow, the blizzard raging nearly covering him in the moments it took him to right himself once more. "I'm sorry," the coach croaked our around chattering teeth, trembling with ice glazing his dark hair and clothes. "This is as far as I can take the carriage. You'll have to walk from here."

Despite having on her warmest clothes, she hadn't really _needed_ snow clothes until that exact moment with Fiore's warm weather, the frigid bite made her shiver almost comically. "That's alright," she shuddered out, choking on a whine when snow blew up against where Natsu had been laying the entire ride.

"I'll head back to town now," the driver called over the wind, urging the horse to hurry away from the snow storm. Lucy could barely hear him, eying the rosette who was wearing his open vest and sandals, her limbs gaining an icy chill from just looking at all of his exposed skin.

"Aren't you cold?" she hummed out quickly, rolling her eyes at the nonchalant shake of his head. Her fingers fumbled at her belt for her keys, the familiar handle of her guardian spirit making her groan in relief before whipping it through the air. "Open gate of the northern dragon, Draco!" A blur of silver appeared in the air, giving a horrified shriek before diving into her jacket and nestling her tiny body into the woman's cleavage. The pair watched Lucy gasp, eyes wide with discomfort, before she quickly settled down and reached into her jacket, soothing something hidden by the cloth. "I know you don't like the cold, Nyra, I'm sorry. I just have a bad feeling."

Seeing that the spirit wasn't going to show itself- and Happy understood wanting to hide away from the frozen water that snuck under his fur and drenched his skin- the cat went off to complete their self imposed job. "Macao! Are you here?" he shouted into the wind. "Did a Vulcan get you?" Natsu rushed towards him, hissing something that sounded like warning of being too loud or something, though a shadow sailing down and landing in between the blonde and the more experienced pair silenced everyone. A giant fist, larger than Happy's whole body, swing at the dragon slayer, leaving him nowhere to go but backwards. "It's a Vulcan!"

The icy monster froze, a frightening grin overcoming his face as he whipped around and shoved his face towards Lucy, the blonde squealing in shock and jumping back on unsteady feet. "Woman," a guttural voice chanted out, earning an animalistic snarl from somewhere within the blonde's clothes.

"Nyra, no!" the celestial mage shouted a moment too late, silver scales glinting as a dragon rapidly began growing between the monster and the mage, only to be swatted away by the Vulcan as Lucy crumpled into the snow, magic draining as Nyra shimmered out of existence. It wasn't the spirit's fault, Lucy reminded the dragon mentally as she snatched another silver key from her ring, it was just that the size manipulation was something the pair needed to work on when Lucy wasn't in immediate danger. "Open gate of the clock, Horologium!" Just as the Vulcan reached out to snatch the female, an oak grandfather clock was sheltering her within its hollowed inside.

"Please just go away, she pleads," the clock hummed out impassively, the pair of Fairy Tail mages gawking at the blonde through the glass door. The monster, however, didn't seem as impressed and tossed the clock over his shoulder, speeding off before either Natsu or Happy could react.

"She summoned a dragon," the rosette choked out, starting forward quickly with a low curse. "She just got stolen by a Vulcan!" He went racing after the blonde, who was currently cursing her low magical capacity and her failure to train with Nyra in a safe environment. Of course, with all of the danger that seemed drawn to her nowadays, who could blame her.

* * *

Curled up weakly within the wooden confinements of her trusted defense spirit, glazed doe eyes watched the Vulcan jump around and flail his arms in some kind of strange mating dance, something that made even the grandfather clock cover his eyes in embarrassment and disgust. "I hope Natsu gets here soon," she murmured out with heavy eyes before quickly shaking her head and sitting up as tall as her fatigue would allow. "That's ridiculous! I was an independant mage for over a year! I can handle this hyperactive Vulcan if I need to!" No sooner had the words left her mouth then she found herself seated on a floor of ice, staring up into the bulking beast from within her oversized clothes.

"Woman," he purred out to her, earning a frightened squeal as she scooted further away from him, fighting to work through the mental haze that had settled with draining her magic supply. Alright, so _maybe_ going off to find someone who hadn't come back from fighting a 'bunch of monsters' while still recovering her full magical capacity wasn't a good idea.

When he took another step closer, she let out a squeal and shot her palm out towards him, squeaking out, _"Xiūkè."_ Static flared out from her hand, making the Vulcan jump back in shock. She used this time to duck around the beast, making for the exit, only to find the dragon slayer rushing towards her at the same time. "Natsu?" Her foot slid slightly, a shriek pulling from her lips as she landed on her hands and knees. "Wait, slow down! It's ice!" Not a moment later, Natsu went sailing across the room, flailing in some attempt to either slow himself down or snag her, which the sudden heat on her ankle told her he had accomplished. She yelped when their momentum pulled her shirt and jaket up, ice sliding against her bare torso for a moment before their combined weight halted the both of them, and struggled to sit on her knees and yank her clothes back into their proper positioning. Shooting a scowl over her shoulder, she used the hand still on her ankle to swing the dragon slayer behind her again, palm in front of her again. _"Xiūkè!"_

The monster skidded away from her, fur standing on end as the Sinish spell sent electricity through his body, and Happy let out an impressed, "That's so cool!" at the magic.

Ignoring the cat, who settled himself on the top of her head, she sent a firm look towards the Vulcan. "Where's Macao?" she yelled, watching the almost angered expression warily. "You understand what I'm saying, don't you? I'm talking about the human _man_ , Macao."

"A man?" he parroted, a dark edge to his voice that nearly made her falter as she nodded. A large hand shoved her away from the dragon slayer, who had retracted his own hand when the electric current had targeted him as well, sending her rolling back into an icy wall, and gave Natsu a firm shove out of a hole in the wall. Happy was out of the cave without a moment to spare, rocketing towards the falling dragon slayer, while the Vulcan chanted out, "Me no likes man, me likes woman."

"No, Natsu!" she screamed, looking down into the ravine through another hole that seemed to act as windows. "He's not dead. He can't be, right? He's a great mage and all, a _dragon slayer_ , I'm sure he's fi-" A sob choked up her words, tears blurring her vision, though there was nothing save snow staring back up at her. The chanting and the loss of her first friend since her spirits got the best of her, anger pushing her magic deprivation to the farthest portions of her mind, and she snagged her keys from her hip, yanking out a golden one with the shape of an axe. "Woman! _Woman! You _perverted monkey!__ What are you going to do if Natsu got hurt, if he _died_? Open gate of the golden bull, Taurus!" A towering mixture between a bull and a humanoid appeared, a large axe strapped to his back and a bellowing cry falling out of his lips. "Taurus is one of the most powerful celestial spirits under my contract! He will be your opponent!"

"Lucy-san," Taurus said, pinning affectionate dark eyes onto her and swaying his short tail around behind him, "You have nice boobs as always! Moore amazing than before." She allowed her face to fall into her hands, cursing her rotten luck for being reliant on the most perverted thing she had met, maybe even more so than the Vulcan in front of her.

"Don't take my woman!" Great, she thought, all hope vanishing from within her mind.

 _"My_ _woman?"_ the spirit snarled out, taking a few short steps in front of blonde and glaring dangerously towards the monster. "That's a moost unforgivable remark. You should say 'my boobs' instead of 'my woman'."

"Taurus, just beat him before I rat you out to Aquarius _and_ Nyra!" she hissed out dangerously, already feeling her wavering magic. She had used Horologium to his time limit _and_ supported most of Nyra's shift earlier, so it was dangerous just summoning the Zodiac spirit, let alone maintaining the long enough for him to defeat the Vulcan, but it was only her right now, and she had people to save. Not long after the two began clashing, a snarl rang from the window, relieved doe eyes watched the rosette appear once more. "Natsu! You're safe!" She only managed a couple of steps before her knees gave out on her, adrenaline draining quickly and leaving Taurus to disappear in a shower of stardust.

Pulse racing, he hurried and slid down next to her the moment his feet were on the floor, unsure if it was just magical strain that left her on the floor or if she had been forced to fight the monster while Happy was off getting him. "Luce, ya alright?" he hurried out in a soft voice, cupping her face and twisting it to look for any evidence of a fight, seeing as that was the only piece of skin uncovered, really. She opened her mouth to talk, but he was easily distracted by the shadows under her eyes and the paleness of her complexion. "Mavis, ya look awful." She pressed icy fingertips, tipped almost blue and completely numb from exposure to the cold, against his forearms, face relaxing as an accidental sigh slipped past her quivering lips. "Shit, you're freezin'!"

"Natsu, the Vulcan-"

"Took one of my nakama," he interrupted, pride swelling as she fought against the comfort he gave her to warn her against imposing danger, something that marked her as a real Fairy Tail mage. "Everyone at Fairy Tail is my nakama, no matter what anyone feels about it. From the ol' geezer to Mira," she tried to cut in here, voice weak in comparison to his own, "then that annoyin' prick Gray and Elfman, all the way down to Happy and you. We're all nakama." She froze, shock lining her features, but he tore his dark eyes away from her face to look back at the charging Vulcan nearly breathing down their necks at this point. "That's why I'm takin' Macao home! Fire dragon's claw!" He did an impressive back flip, his left food ignited in flames and lashing out to smack into the monster's chin, lifting him off of the ground and sending him soaring over where Lucy was sitting, tumbling and struggling to get back onto his feet. "Tell me where Macao is, or I'll burn you to charcoal." He began snapping off icicles, throwing them towards the dragon slayer, who panicked for a moment realizing who was sitting in between himself and the monster until he saw Happy dip down and yank her out of harm's way. He growled lowly, racing forward and ignoring the ice melting before it could even reach his body, fist up and ready to attack. "Fire dragon's iron fist!"

"Wait, Natsu!" she cried,wincing pathetically and struggling out of the cat's hold when the Vulcan went sailing across the cavern and smashed into the wall. He looked back at her, confused to see her hurrying to the creature as the wall began to crumble and icy light began to seep through its fur. "Vulcans use take over magic!" She threw herself down on the ice, catching his wrists in both of her hands as his body began to fall away with chunks of ice, the dragon slayer throwing himself down and grabbing ahold of her legs when she began to slip. "Happy! Grab him!"

"Aye!" the cat chirped out, quickly racing to relieve her from the extra weight as her frozen fingers began to slip away from his blood stained skin.

* * *

Despite the shakiness of her body and the hypothermia surely settling in right about now, she began fishing out supplies from her bag, spreading a thick quilt out over the ice and placing her portable stove at the top of the blanket, instructing the dragon slayer to light it. Next came her medical kit and the new roll of gauze, concentrated doe eyes examining his body while she began sterilizing a needle for stitches, sure that he would need some for the wound on his temple and the large gash at his side. "It seems he fought well before he was taken over," she breathed out, trying to ignore the urge to curl up closer to the fire as melted ice and snow dampened her clothes. "These wounds are pretty serious." The ease with which she both examined and performed tasks made the males with her slightly uncomfortable, rubbing alcohol drenching a cloth and wiping away thick sheens of blood. She quickly got up, snatching up the thread and trying to get the end through the eye of the needle with her trembling hands, and moved to sit beside the worst wound, the one on his right waist.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Happy whimpered, holding a bottle of healing salve that was only about halfway filled and following after her.

"He'll be fine," she promised, smiling lightly when she got the black thread through the curved needle. She propped him up slightly, her knees under his side to give her access to the entirety of the wound, and wiped away the oozing blood with her rag, leaving her to cringe at the sight. "It may take me awhile to patch him up completely, but he'll be fine." With that, she began her work, sharp metal piercing through the skin with ease and her hand steady with practice. They watched her in silence, awed by her ability to work through drooping eyes and deadly temperatures, gauze soon tied around his entire torso with a thick layer of the salve Happy had been holding, which smelled strongly of basil, lavender, lemon balm, and sage. It wasn't until she had just cut the thread on the last stitch to his temple that inky eyes snapped open, a terrified gasp ringing through the air and frightening the blonde into jumping to her feet, which of course lead her to slipping on the ice and pricking herself with the needle on the way down.

"Natsu," he finally breathed out, relieved by a familiar face, though his eyes continued to move towards the blonde, especially since the rosette was helping her up and inspecting the drop of blood rolling down the palm of her hand as if it would kill her, though she quickly shooed him away. His eyes moved down to his own body, almost completely covered in a strong smelling solution and bandages that were obviously placed by the blonde stranger. "What a shame. I got nineteen of 'em. I was taken over by that _fuckin' twentieth one_ _._ "

"You did well," the female soothed sweetly, dropping the needle and extra thread onto a pile of blood soaked rags, kneeling down once more by his head and gathering a handful of that salve again. "It's understandable, but please don't speak anymore, or else you'll reopen your wounds." She began spreading the strange sage green solution onto his head, sending an apologetic look at his hiss of pain, before smoothing a bandage over the stitches with a strange amount of care.

"I'm so angry at myself," he choked out, tears pooling in his eyes. "Damn it." His hand came up, moving slowly, and began wiping away his tears as the blonde had seen Romeo do the day before, and smiled down softly as she searched for further resemblance through the flickering candlelight. "How can I face Romeo now?"

"He's been waiting for you," she cooed softly, packing up her supplies again and pulling out another thin jacket, handing it to the man to give him some clothes until they got back to warmer ground. "You can face him knowing that he'd love you no matter how many Vulcan's you lost to." He looked up at her with tears and accepted her help in sitting up and pulling on the jacket, smiling softly as he replayed her words within his mind.

* * *

Natsu stood just outside of the carriage, pouting, as he watched the blonde adjust Macao on the bench, pulling out several blankets from her purse- the three mages present were too afraid to ask her _how_ she managed to fit an entire bedding set out of the purse that barely looked big enough to hold a decently sized book- and arranging them around the man to keep him comfortable, warm, and unlikely to pull at his stitches. He had supported his weight the entire way down the to taxi station, where Lucy ran ahead to purchase the carriage, and she had hardly spoken three words to anyone down the mountain, stumbling over her own to feet and nearly freezing to death. She settled across the carriage from the man, sending him a curious look and patting the space next to her, an invitation and a reminder that she'd be there to help him with his own discomfort.

When the dragon slayer practically lept at her, face falling against her abdomen, Macao was sure he was hallucinating, the damned rosette hardly acknowledged other people while on transportation and now he was like an overeager puppy towards this new girl? He looked to Happy, a brow quirked slightly despite the tug it caused at his stitching, and the cat sniggered under his breath. "Natsu likes sleeping on Lucy's lap during rides," he purred out suggestively, causing the blonde's face to heat up and the dragon slayer to growl as the carriage began rolling down the rocky path. "He l~ikes her." The injured man gave out a hearty laugh, watching the blonde rake her fingers through his hair despite her burning features when he whined out pitifully.

As much as she wanted to snap at Happy, warn him that she wasn't going to put up with his shit again on this ride, the presence of Macao, someone's _father_ , kept her features schooled into a polite mask and her voice light if it was existent at all. She didn't want to behave irrationally around anyone's father, because all dads had that same _'I'm disappointed in you'_ look and she just couldn't bear to see it anymore, especially not directed at her. They made light conversation, completely ignorant to her tenseness, though the rosette draped across her lap kept shooting her weird looks when he was sure he wouldn't throw up on her. She had looked fine enough at first, smiling softly towards the opposite bench, and then he noticed her dazed eyes and small waver in her lips every now and again. He stored it away for later, burrowing his nose back into her stomach when a nasty bump made his stomach flutter again, and he curled his arms around her waist once more.

* * *

They had gone immediately to the guild, cheers following the appearance of the dark haired man who desperately needed a change of clothes, his torn and drenched. He had disappeared into one of the back rooms with his partner, Wakaba, before Natsu realized that Lucy had wandered over to the bar, speaking softly to Mirajane. "That's sweet and all, Mira," he heard Lucy say as he got closer, the blonde's shoulders dipped in disappointment, "but I don't think I can pay 100,000 jewels a month for a room."

"I already told you," Happy chided, swooping down from the air and landing in front of the blonde on the counter, "just come stay with me and Natsu! We won't mind." Mirajane nearly fainted, breath catching in her throat and giving the cat enough time to cover her mouth before a piercing squeal rang through the air, while Lucy smiled lightly at the cat.

"That's sweet, but I couldn't impose like that," she argued, still shivering lightly every now and again. "Maybe I can go looking around town for an apartment or something while you guys drop Macao-san back off at home."

"Ya ain't comin' with us?" Natsu asked, mood dropping slightly at the thought of letting her out of his sight, these past couple days where she didn't have anywhere else to go making him forget that people liked their privacy, that she wouldn't just agree to live with him like Happy had done. He was dealing with panicking emotions, his hoarding instincts assuring him that letting her out of his sight would result in another fight where she ended up passing out from magic deprivation- which reminded him that she hadn't slept on the ride home and was probably exhausted- or, even worse, never return to Fairy Tail. With whatever it was that masked her scent, who knows if he'd be able to find her again, and she'd proven that she had no qualms about leaving Fiore, her fluencing in Ishgarian languages leaving her without any hinders to moving away.

"I wasn't planning on it," she said carefully, as if she could see the unease on his face- and maybe she could. "Did you want me to?" He barely caught himself, nearly nodding like some overeager child, though he turned his face away from her and crossed his arms before giving an unstable shrug. She gave him a soft smile, wringing the strap of her bag slightly before standing up. "I don't know, maybe I should go. I'd surely get lost if I went wandering around Magnolia on my own. You're carrying Macao-san, though." The teasing lilt to her voice made his cheeks flush lightly, a pouty scowl shot her way, and she gave out a light laugh, shaking her head and bidding farewell to Mirajane. "Come on, I need a bed to crash on for at least a week."

* * *

A sharp whistle pulled his attention away from his hands, eyes snapping up to see Natsu half dragging his dad towards him, bruises and bandages lining his beaming face, though that only made the boy feel worse. He had gotten hurt, his father had nearly _died_ judging by the blood staining Lucy's clothes and the smear on her face that was chipping away, all because some kids had talked down about his father being a mage. "Daddy," he croaked out, voice wobbly as tears began treking down his face. "I'm so sorry. I'm so…" Familiar arms curled around him, pulling him close and tucking him against a broad shoulder.

"I made you worry," Macao continued on, ignoring how much his son relaxed into his hold in favor of tightening his grip. "Sorry." Happy snuck a glance towards the blonde, well aware of how strangely she'd been acting since the trip up to the mountain, and found her tucked back behind Natsu, as if trying to hide herself from the scene, her eyes downcast and her fingers twisting painfully together, a distraction he realized. Flicking the dragon slayer's ankle with his tail, the cat guested behind him with an ear and waited for the rosette to see it, too.

"It's okay," Romeo hummed out after a long time, sniffling and gripping his dad back just as tightly. "I'm the son of a mage."

As if feeling their gaze on her, Lucy's eyes returned to the scene, though maybe it was the shock of noise, and both males had to look forward once more as the father and son parted slightly. "When those brats try teasin' ya next, ask 'em if their old man can defeat _nineteen_ monsters all by himself, okay?" the dark haired man chuckled out, throwing his son a crooked grin. The blonde turned away quickly, trying to hide the jealous panging of her heart and the tears in her eyes that came from just _watching_ a caring father, the footsteps behind her telling her that Natsu wasn't going to leave her alone to look for somewhere to cry out her envious feelings until the night, probably, and who knew if she'd have the energy then.

"Natsu-nii, Happy! Thanks!" Romeo yelled back, the celestial mage once more shocked by his sudden voice. "And thank you, too, Lucy-nee!" She hadn't slept for a day, her emotions were already running wild, and he had referred to her so casually as a member of their family despite having met her the day before, so she tried not to fault herself too much for the tears that began to spill as she waved over her shoulder, refusing to look back to where four Fairy Tail members would see her tear stained face. She could really used a good day crying to Aquarius.

* * *

 _ **Hello again! I'm doing a terrible job of spacing out my updates, but you're all making me so happy! You are all so wonderful and I honestly can't believe how many people have read and/or like my story! Thank you all so much for reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this!**_

 _ **To answer Littlest1, I don't really think I'll be giving Lucy any other new keys. I just liked the idea of dragon slayers bonding with Lucy for the sole purpose of she has at to a dragon and it reminds them of their childhoods. If you have any constellations that you'd like to see me add to her collection, please do let me know and I'll be sure to add them in somewhere. I was thinking at one point of time that I'd give her Caelum, but I just don't see her using it very much. I'm open to suggestions though, and that goes for everyone!**_

 _ **As for Loso, there are most definitely going to be both Lucy apartment and Natsu house scenes that further their bonding, though the real relationship building conversations will come later in the story. And the whole hoard issue was mainly for her hair, though there are other things, too. Like how I refer to the color of her eyes as smoked topaz instead of chocolate or hickory or something else, it's just little things that call to him, like how he used to hoard Lisanna amd Mirajane in his childhood because their hair is like silver and their eyes are like sapphire or whatever. It's little things that he notices in people that make him possessive. He also has a big material hoard, like his wall of memories, and I wanted something to really cement their friendship in the beginning, because it was Natsu's ****persistence** **.**_

 ** _For Lady Mafia Dragneel, great name by the way, I've had Draco mainly hidden or moving quickly when Natsu's been around. I didn't want them to start off their relationship with him demanding to know why she had a dragon and stuff like that, but it'll definitely come up in the next chapter. _**

**_You're all so wonderful and thank you so much!_**


	5. Chapter five

**Chapter five**

Doe eyes snapped open, a small sob bursting past her lips as Lucy tried to will herself away from the nightmares that had plagued her the night before, leaving her more exhausted than she had been when she had gone to bed the night before, and that had seemed virtually impossible at the time. She was curled up on the floor of her new apartment, having just agreed with the landlady that she could live there the night before and collapsing on the dusty hardwood that made up her bedroom floor. It was a quaint little place, with a cozy furnace and a convenient setting close to the marketplace and mere blocks away from the guildhall. She pulled herself off of the ground, dragging her purse and her tired body into the bathroom and turning on the tap, steam beginning to rise from the scalding water. She stripped slowly, peeling gross clothes away from her body and dropping them against the corner of the bathroom, before digging around in her bag for a couple towels and her toiletries, taking them out and lining the tiled tub with the vials and cloth. She stepped into the water, oddly fascinated with how it turned her porcelain skin a candy apple red, and turned off the tap, ignoring how sweat began to bead on her skin and the stinging sensation the near boiling water left on her skin. It was nice, after a year of washing herself off in the showers provided by hotels while roaming the country, she found herself sinking against the steadily heating stone lining the tub and melting into the water. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a soft bed- not that she had any furniture, she realized with glossy eyes.

Heaving out a sigh, she began lathering her body in soaps and oils, the strawberry body wash and honey hair products making her stomach beg her audibly for some form of food, and she cursed herself lightly for forgetting to eat the day before. Thinking back on it only made her heart sink, her hearing muffled by the water, and she realized that she hadn't had more than a coffee since her birthday nearly three days prior. She never meant to go days without food, it was just something that happened to slip her mind now that she had more things to worry about and left her with a touch of self loathing she could go without. "Maybe I could convince Mira to let me pay her back later, when I have some money," she thought aloud, unclogging the tub and wrapping both her hair and body in rather matted towels, vowing to buy new ones when she went out shopping. She towel dried her body, wringing excess water out of her long hair before tying it back up in the towel, before pulling on a pair of denim capris and a scarlet tee shirt from Heart Kreuz. Stepping out into the hallway, she found herself looking around the empty apartment with disdain, though she froze upon seeing both Natsu and Happy looking around what was meant to be her bedroom. "What are you guys doing here?"

She had honestly expected herself to be more upset about seeing the pair looking around, though the excitement and relief aimed towards her from the pair made her feel more at ease in the strange apartment. "Mira told us that you got an apartment, so we decided to come check it out!" Happy relayed rather cheerfully, completely ignoring the dragon slayer as he marched over to the blonde and began examining her face like he had on Mount Hakobe. "We approve of it, though it needs some stuff in it."

"Did ya get any sleep last night?" Natsu asked nearly the moment Happy finished talking, a scowl on his face as she swatted his hand away from her flushing face.

"I was actually going to go shopping today," she said, casually ignoring Natsu's concern for her health, "though I'd like to go see Mira first, if that's alright." Receiving confused nods from the pair, she hurried to the door, slipping on a pair of flats and looking back at the two questioningly. "You guys ready?" She hardly waited until they were in the hallway before locking her door, eager to find herself a quick meal now that her pained stomach was at the forefront of her mind, and Natsu had told Romeo that Mira had food.

"Hey Luce," the dragon slayer said suddenly, nearly having to jog to keep up with the celestial mage in her determination to get to the guild. She jumped out of her thoughts, wide eyes whipping around to stare at Natsu curiously. "How'd ya summon that dragon?" Her eyebrows pulled together, wondering why _that_ was the spirit that had interested him, until the realization hit her like a train.

"It's the constellation of the dragon, Draco," she said softly, continuing more leisurely to the guild as she thought of how to answer his unspoken questions without treading on whatever feelings he must have towards it all. "I got her in Crocus a while ago. I can summon her when we get to the guild if you'd like me to. You can study her yourself." She only kept her eyes on him until he nodded, facing forward once more and nearly weeping at the sight of the guildhall so near. Once she crossed the threshold, she ducked around a flying body- Gray if she remembered correctly- and hurried towards the bar with a bit of desperation. "Mira, could I get something to eat? I don't exactly have any jewel to pay for it right now, but I promise to-"

"I'll pay for it," Natsu interrupted casually, plopping down in the seat next to her and looking at her expectantly, nearly laughing at her shocked face. "And the usual for me." The snowy haired barmaid nodded, giggling to herself as she hurried into the kitchen to get a couple of plates out. "Draco."

Nodding numbly, still surprised that he had so easily agreed to pay for her meal, and fumbled with the keys at her hip for the right one, one of the silver ones. She swiped it through the air in front of her, chanting out a quiet, "Open gate of the northern dragon, Draco." In a small flare of light, a silver scaled dragon was perched on the bar, no longer than Lucy's forearm, with amber eyes pinned on the rosette. "Natsu, this is Nyra. Nyra, this is Natsu." The spirit shot her a bland look, making the blonde flush slightly, though she didn't keep her attention away from the male for long, leaning towards him slightly to sniff at him before becoming immediately disinterested.

This is what Mirajane came back to, a small dragon slinking leisurely up Lucy's arm with Natsu's eyes pinned intensely on the creature. She let out a startled yelp, barely keeping from dropping the plates at the sight, though the older teenager quickly became concerned over the look the celestial mage gave the plate in her hands. "Here you go," she chimed out slowly, settling the food down and watching the blonde pluck up her fork and skewer a potato. The food was in her mouth in an instant, the girl melting slightly into her barstool to keep from shoveling the food down her throat like some barbarian. "Hey Lucy." At the silken tone the snowy haired woman used with her alone, the blonde knew that Mirajane had caught onto her empty stomach and ravenous cravings. "How tight _are_ you on money?"

Twirling her fork idly, attempting to ignore her whining stomach which Natsu could hear, based on the looks he kept shooting her, she winced at how empty her wallet had been the night before when she put down her down payment on the apartment. "I think I have four hundred jewel saved to get some furniture," she mumbled out as nonchalantly as she could, though that didn't sit well with the maternal teenager.

"You _what_?" she shrieked out, equal parts enraged and horrified. She didn't seem to notice the attention pinned on them, nor the deadly scowl Natsu was pinning on her as his ears rang, when she began to shove forkfuls of food down the blonde's throat. "Well hurry up and eat! Bisca! Come here!" She dropped the fork, rushing towards the parakeet haired woman in charge of Fairy Hills dormitory while the head girl was away, and the two began to speak in hushed whispers, oblivious to the curious looks they were getting.

Despite the anxiety over what Mirajane was planning- she had heard all about her ramblings after the Natsu-Lucy love bet had begun- she began eating once more, attempting to keep food in her stomach as it coiled nervously. "Relax," Nyra purred in her ear, soothing the blonde and startling the dragon slayer into choking on his food. "She's asking Bisca for unused furniture from Fairy Hills. She's going to put a set together for you."

"That's not necessary," the blonde argued lightly, placing her fork down. "I'll just need to find some jobs to do. It may take a while, but I'm sure-"

"Just accept their gifts," the dragon snapped, peeking out from her place in the blonde mass of hair and pinned the girl with a stern look, making her sigh in defeat and return to her meal, slumped and fidgeting nervously. It was silent for a while, Lucy fighting to keep an impassive face as she ate the fruit on the side of her breakfast, her stomach fluttering too much to really stomach anything else.

Happy quickly plopped down on the bar in front of her, eyeing the keys at her side with interest. "How many spirits do you use?" he asked quickly, earning a curious look front the blonde and a rather horrified scowl from the dragon.

"I have contracts with eight spirits, five silver and three gold." Lucy said slowly, pulling up her key ring and showing off the collection of metal. "These silver keys are common ones that you can buy at stores. You've seen Horologium and Draco, or Nyra, but there's also Crux, the southern cross, and Lyra, the lyre. The gold keys are extremely rare and open the gates of the twelve ecliptic zodiac. I have Taurus, the bull, Aquarius, the water bearer, and Cancer, the crab." She cocked her head slightly, fingers running along one of the silver keys almost thoughtfully. "I should probably go home soon and make a contract with Nikora." Looking down at the half finished meal, the rest of the food taunting her to finish despite the ache in her stomach after just a few bites, she shot an uncertain look towards Natsu. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay for my own breakfast? I mean, now that I don't have to buy any furniture."

"It's fine, Luce," he assured her easily, offering her a small smile, though the thought of her leaving- especially knowing that she had access to a _dragon_ , even if it wasn't the kind he was used to- made him antsy. "Why don't ya finish up and box your food ta go, and I'll help ya go shoppin' for food around your apartment." Her eyes widened in realization, a smile breaking out across her face, and she nodded quickly to him.

"That's a great idea! I forgot that you're supposed to keep food around the house," she laughed out, waving her spirit off and sending her back to the celestial spirit world in a shower of dust that only amplified the star like scent on the blonde. The statement she made, however, concerned quite a few people, not that she noticed as she expertly boxed up the breakfast she had hardly touched and slid it into her enchanted bag, leaving a spare key to her apartment under her plate for Mirajane.

* * *

After a long hour spent meandering around market and buying whatever food appealed any of the three present- Lucy, Natsu, and Happy- the blonde found herself grateful to be back in her rather spacious apartment with the scent of cedar surrounding her. She was exhausted still, not having enough rest to even think about replenishing her magic, and all she really wanted was a bed and maybe a fire in that cute little furnace, though the thought of Mirajane and Bisca planning out her entire apartment furnishings kept her from spending a jewel on the decorations just yet. She began stuffing food in the barren cupboards and the ice chest, more than a little grateful that the ice lacrimas worked since she hadn't checked that morning, and decided that she would do a quick contract with Canis Minor before throwing whatever clean blankets she still had into a pile and sleeping away regardless of if the dragon slayer stayed or left.

Sluggishly moving into the bedroom, where the dragon slayer had decided to wait for her, she found herself almost amused by the way Natsu was sniffing around like some blood hound, the male still trying to determine if this was a safe enough place to keep a piece of his hoard- even though she was her own person and free to make her own choices, he reminded himself quickly while cursing the draconic need to collect anything that piqued his interest enough. "I'm going to do this contract and then I'm going to sleep, alright?" she asked softly, fatigue staining her voice. She waited only to see his nod before twirling a silver key through the air, pushing whatever magic she had into the metal to create a rip through space to allow a spirit to pass into Earthland. "I connect the Celestial Spirit Realm to Earthland. Thou shall answer my calls and pass through the gate. Open gate of Canis Minor, Nikora!" A tiny snowman looking creature appeared in a burst of icy light, about as tall as Happy, and it began to quiver as it danced around as if it were drunk. Lucy dropped to her knees, smiling and scooping the strange thing into her arms to coddle, looking a little intoxicated herself if Natsu was being honest, though she turned bright eyes to him and began explaining Nikora's appeal. "Opening the gate to Canis Minor doesn't require a lot of magic, but can still relay if the mage is in trouble to offensive spirits if need be. Other than that, they're great companions." She set down the spirit, fumbling through her bag until she pulled out a small notebook and a pen, looking towards Nikora expectantly. "Can I call you on Mondays?" A shake of the head left her to draw an x beside the day, her attention shifting as she listed off days and marked them down on paper. If he were being honest, the whole process was boring, and his attention easily diverted back to the rather haunting emptiness of the entire apartment, the floor cleared save large piles of wood beside the stove and furnace, and he had to wonder just where she slept the night before and where she was going to sleep tonight, sure that her bed wouldn't be ready. "Okay! Contract done!"

"Where ya gonna sleep?" he asked, the sudden inquisition making her falter for a moment as she cocked her head slightly, turning confused eyes to his face. "Ya ain't got a bed, so where ya gonna sleep?" She gave a small shrug, scooping up the companion spirit for a bit of comfort, as she stood up.

"I was just going to pile up blankets somewhere," she told him, looking around the dusty room with a bit of disgust and promising to get herself an entire closet worth of cleaning supplies. "It's the best I can do right now." Turning her attention swiftly back to her newest spirit, knowing full well that the stubborn dragon slayer won't let the subject go until he got whatever he wanted from her, she decided to finish her business with her spirit first. "Do you like the name Plue?"

"Plue?" Happy sniggered out, shooting her an amused look as the spirit nodded.

She nodded, smiling softly as she said, "It's Alakitasian for further." He gawked at her, surprised that she knew the language when Alakitasia was such a secluded continent, and Lucy let out a defeated sigh at the look Natsu was pinning on her. "I'll call you out later, Plue. Thank you for making a contract with me." He let out a strange sound, saluting, and disappeared in the average shower of dust that left a slight glimmer on the wooden floor.

Without picking up their earlier conversation, the dragon slayer snagged her arm and began pulling her, gentle despite nearly growling at the thought of her sleeping on the dusty floor- what kind of a dragon let a piece of his hoard, living or inanimate, stay in such unwelcoming conditions?- and began dragging her out of the front door, Happy snatching her surprisingly light bag and following after them.

* * *

Lucy wasn't quite sure where Natsu was taking her, having enough faith in him to believe he wasn't going to do anything too bad to her so she remained silent, but it was beginning to get difficult for her exhausted body to keep up with his purposeful strides as he lead her into the forest and down a winding path. She was tempted to tell him to slow down, knowing that he was probably wrapped up in his thoughts like she had been that morning, though ultimately decided against it when a sign shaped like a cat head appeared, the words _'Natsu and Happy'_ carved into the wood, a quaint little cottage not far behind it. The moment the door opened, the three froze and found themselves looking at a mess of clothes and items scattered around, the rosette feeling his face heat up at the fact he forgot how messy he tended to leave his house since he was never really there.

"Did you want me to help you organize?" she asked hesitantly after a long moment, feeling more relaxed in the secluded cottage than in her apartment, if she were being honest. She'd never really had to do deep cleanings before, mostly just reorganization or chores for elderly people when she needed money, and she couldn't deny the strange serenity it gave her, so she was sure that there was a touch of excitement to her features that confused the pair.

"Sure," he drawled out slowly before quickly shaking his head and navigating the mess expertly, still dragging the woman behind him. "First, though, ya can sleep on my hammock. It ain't a bed, but it's better than the ground." She reluctantly agreed, having never been on a hammock before, and found herself staring at the mauve fabric skeptically. "It ain't gonna bite."

She nodded, creeping towards it slowly and placing her hand on the edge, heart dropping in anxiety as it rocked to expose little more than a hanging cocoon that she was supposed to get on somehow and stay on while sleeping. She spun around quickly, doe eyes imploring, as she asked, "Is it safe? I mean, won't I fall out of it?" He looked at her incredulously, quirking an eyebrow and glancing between her face and the hammock with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Ain't ya been in a hammock before?" he asked, shocked when her cheeks began to burn and she looked away almost guiltily. Sobering his express, he gripped her sides and lifted her clear off of the ground, ignoring her yelp in favor of settling her on top of the fabric and watching it engulf her as she got comfortable. "Ya ain't gonna fall. Just holler if ya need anythin', okay?" He waited until her breaths had evened to begin picking through the mess, ready to stash away any trinkets from his hoard that may get moved around, the weight of his decision to bring her here now weighing down heavily on him. He never let anyone come here, except for Happy but that was different- Happy knew about Natsu's hoarding instincts and realized that he was included in that and, as such, respected his wishes not to move anything around without permission.

Of course, he didn't think he would particularly mind either of them looking at his hoard, aside from the possessive instincts that would demand they stay there, but it would be annoying to go back through it and arrange it meticulously once more. He had just finished shoving everything into the closet of his 'room', though it was pretty much just the entire house apart from the kitchen and bathroom, when a terrified gasp sounded from his right. He looked over, confused, as Lucy shot out of the hammock, squealing as it rocked and began to tip her out of it, only to hurry to keep her within the dull fabric by grabbing both of her shaking shoulders steadily. Her eyes landed on him, wide and afraid, before she melted into his touch with a soft whimper of, "Natsu?"

"It's me," he assured her, confused and concerned over her obvious nightmare. "Ya alright?" She nodded a little too quickly, though he didn't press, merely helping her out of the hammock and onto unsteady legs.

"Cleaning," she said, her voice shaking despite the forced evenness. "It's time to do… cleaning." She didn't look at him, sitting down to mask her fear and fatigue, and began to fold a pair of pants hanging over a sideways stool, mind still churning with memories that haunted her unconscious mind. She allowed her eyes to slip closed, wanting to clear her mind of her fears so she could act normally until she got this bed that Mirajane and Bisca were throwing together for her, though a pair of cold umber eyes stared back at her, making her hurriedly look back towards her hands.

He watched her beginning to clean, her movements almost robotic at first, though they melted into fluid and relaxed motions as her breathing evened into something calm, figuring that mindless work was calming to her as it was to Mirajane, one of the reasons she liked to polish glasses despite their chances of breaking the same day their purchased being high. "Hey," he said after a while, startling both of them at the sudden noise of his voice- Happy sleeping somewhere within the cottage after whining about how Lucy got to sleep. "I was thinkin', since ya ain't got a lotta money, we should for a team."

"A team?" she hummed out, voice much more relaxed now than it had been earlier.

"Yeah. Even though everyone in the guild gets along, there are teams of people who work better together," he said, squatting down and transferring the clothes deemed clean enough to the drawer of his dresser. "It'll make hard jobs easy." She shot him a curious look, quickly turning back to her work to keep her anxiety at bay as self deprecating thoughts began to swarm her mind, trying to push them back to where they belonged without Nyra's comforting presence to help her.

"Why would you want to form a team with me?" she asked as lightly as she could, the rosette nearly tripping over his own two feet in shock over the question. "I mean, I'm nothing special, really. Celestial magic is such an easy thing to learn." She gave a little shrug, righting a glass and placing it with a couple of other things to go back into the kitchen.

"'Cause you're reliable," he argued, squatting down next to her and trying to see her face. "Ya got a buncha handy skills, too, and you're a good person. Why wouldn't I wanna team up with ya?" He continued watching her, practically _feeling_ her self doubt, and he nearly whined like a hatchling in trouble. "If you're all that worried 'bout magic power, I can help ya train while we're on a team, and I can take care of jobs and stuff til you're ready." She looked back at him, eyes uncertain as she looked over him for a moment, pulling a piece of paper from in front of her.

"An S-class mage wants to be on a team with me?" she asked, waving around the job flier with the S-class stamp decorating it's upper left corner. He nodded quickly, slightly nervous about how long it was taking her to agree, and she offered him a practiced smile as if sensing his discomfort. "I guess, as long as I'm not going to ruin all of your jobs, I'll be on a team with you." He grinned quickly, a rumbling purr slipping from him before he could really help it, though the blonde seemed fascinated as she shot up to her knees. "Did you just purr?" Without a sense of personal boundaries, she pressed her ear against his chest, childlike wonder making her giddy, and demanded, "Do it again!" He nearly did too, if not for the years of self taught restraint and the embarrassed flush covering his cheeks and ears.

"No way!"

* * *

 _ **Oh my gosh, you guys! Not Your Average Fairy Tail is almost at 1,000 views! You guys are incredible, really! Seeing that so many of you have read/followed/favorited/reviewed this story brightens my days! Please let me know if you guys think anyone is out of character or if certain things aren't explained enough, because I'm honestly a scatter brain and I rush stories during portions I either don't like or haven't thought much on. It's a wonder that anyone's reading this at all.**_

 _ **You're all amazing and you've made my weekend great! Thank you all so much and I'll see you in the next update!**_


	6. Chapter six

**Chapter six**

Bright topaz eyes, far more rested than anyone had seen since she had joined the guild, scanned the request board for a job suitable for herself- and Natsu and Happy, of course- that still paid well, which there weren't many of. Her eyes found bold numbers, _two hundred thousand jewels_ , and decided to take a peek at the description, which Natsu had been forced to teach her to read since all of her previous jobs had been verbal agreements, really. "Shirotsume town," she hummed out, her voice drawing the dragon slayer's attention back towards her and the paper gripped loosely in her hands. "We would just need to get a book from Duke Everlue's mansion." She shuddered slightly, knowing the name of the middle aged aristocrat and the disgusting stories that were often whispered after it, before continuing on with her explanation of the job she was interested in, skipping over a few choice words, such as womanizer, pervert, and sexual predator. "He's looking for a blonde maid! This is the perfect job, Natsu! I'm really the only blonde in Fairy Tail, right?"

Immediately, he shook his head and bit back a snarl to the best of his abilities, having looked over that particular job a couple days before and remembering the Duke's description like the back of his hand. "No," he said firmly, steering her attention towards the action packed section, almost praying that she would easily accept his refusal and pick something where he could possibly show off.

"Natsu," she whined out lightly, turning to pout over her shoulder as her fingers clamped more firmly around the page. "It's a simple job, really. I've done more difficult stuff on the road. All I have to do is sneak in as a maid, look around for the book, and get out of there. He won't even know what hit him." Of course, they both knew he would, though it almost seemed taboo to say anything that could possibly jinx the mission.

"Luce, he's a _sexual predator,_ " he stressed, pressing his finger under the words with urgency. "I ain't lettin' ya go into the house of a sexual predator as some servant. Even _I_ know those clichés." The pleading doe eyes nearly broke him, instincts and rationality warring over what his final answer should be- knowing that she could easily say that she'd take it alone and leave her to face the pervert by herself, but also not wanting another living soul to stare at a piece of his hoard like that, even with her permission.

"I just figured that as long as you were nearby, everything would work out," she hummed out nonchalantly, removing her hand from the job and allowing it to drift up to a paper depicting shoveling snow for a lousy pay of three thousand jewel instead. "Besides, I'm sure someone else will take it and get it done just fine.. Maybe having the word book in the description will interest Levy."

"Fine," he snapped, resolve breaking under her manipulative words. "I'm keepin' an eye on ya at all times and I burn the mansion if shit happens." The dazzling grin she shot at him as she tore the paper off of the corkboard was almost worth the panic swimming through his veins,

"Deal!" she chirped out, skipping off to get the job approved by Mirajane. Happy looked at him, confused about his reluctance to take the job, and he waved off the cat's concern, wondering just how long it would take him to snap and make cinders of the building.

* * *

Finally having found her two teammates, a tiny lapis haired girl looked up at the jobs displayed with wide pecan eyes, plump lips pursing in disappointment when they didn't find the one that had interested her only that morning. "Mira-chan," she called, waiting until the barmaid had come closer before continuing. "About the job at Everlue mansion for two hundred thousand jewels, did someone take it?" The ivorette nodded, a dreamy smile crossing her face as she propped her chin in her hands.

"Yes," she sighed out. "Lucy said that Natsu was going to take her on that job. Isn't it romantic, the loner of the girl and the new girl forming a team?" She let out a breathy giggle, hardly holding back a blissful squeal at the mere idea of pink and blonde haired babies running around the guild, and Levy's face fell at that.

"I was thinking about taking that job," she said slowly, wringing her hands together in front of her thighs.

"Levy, maybe it's best if you didn't go," the master said slowly, the closest thing he had to a granddaughter startling at his voice and looking at him with rapt attention. "That job has just become a little more troublesome. I was recently in touch with the client and the reward was raised to two million jewels, or so I was told." The surrounding guild members went into a frenzy, the price almost rivaling S-class missions at their lowest, though the old man didn't say anything more as he smoked his tobacco pipe, glad that there was finally giving Natsu as much trouble as the dragon slayer had given him, just without all of the scoldings, destruction, and paperwork.

* * *

Once more being used as little more than a body pillow, the celestial mage having to support the dragon slayer as he rested his cheek on her shoulder and threw his legs across her lap, as if trying to cover as much of her with his own body while still cuddling as he could. He was whining in her ear, the sounds so close to that of a puppy that she often found her thoughts drifting back to that purr he refused to replicate. "Lucy!" Happy suddenly chirped out, far too excited for her to like. She found him more talkative whenever the dragon slayer was moments from throwing up, and that usually meant him poking fun at her or relaying embarrassing stories of Natsu. "You should be practicing being a maid! I'll be your master!"

"Unlikely," she choked out as a particularly nasty jostle had the man on top of her whimpering and squeezing her waist. "Besides, I'm sure I know how to be a maid." She let out a small squeal when a nose was shoved firmly into her neck, her shoulder rising to pushing Natus's face back down. "Natsu, stop!"

"No ordering around your master, Lucy," Happy chided with a devious smirk on his face, dodging the pen she flung at him front within her bag.

* * *

Shrugging on a stylish backpack- which Mirajane had given to her after she had enchanted the barmaid's favorite purse into something like her own bag- the blonde helped pull the dragon slayer out of the carriage, a bright smile on her face as she looked around the quaint little town she had visited for a few days months before. It was just as pretty as she had remembered, bright emerald leaves instead of yellows and reds that had stained the trees before hand. "I'll never ride a carriage ever again," Natsu hissed out from behind her.

"You always say that," Happy argued dismissively, following after the dragon slayer as he began to hunt after some scent, food most likely. "Should we go eat first, or get a hotel room and put out stuff away?" The cat began sniggering, looking back slyly at Lucy in a way that made both of the other mages uncomfortable. "I know, I'll go get Lucy a maid costume!" With the shouts of disapproval at his back, the feline went off in search of a costume shop, purchasing the first dress he saw that he thought would fit the blonde.

* * *

With a scowl aimed at Happy and a thick piece of meat on his plate, the cat finally let out a long sigh and set down his fish to converse with the man currently cursing him. "What's the matter, Natsu? Did you not want to see her in a maid uniform?" he asked, an odd serious tone to his voice, and he watched with satisfaction as the dragon slayer's face began to bleed rosy hues. "Exactly! And she probably won't want to keep it anyways, so you can hoard it away." He paused for a moment, allowing that idea to she doesn't ebe accepted by the rosette, before saying, "she doesn't even have to wear it the whole time."

"I don't want to know what you're talking about, do I?" the blonde asked, having come in during a silence then followed by a statement that could only be about her. "As much as I hate the maid uniform, it does come with gloves." She showed off her hand, cotton covering up where her guild mark was usually situated. "It wouldn't do any good to be caught before even starting the mission, would it?" He couldn't respond, torn between trying to make light of how good she looked in that maid costume- which he was becoming increasingly sure that Happy had bought from a sex shop- and keeping his mouth shut while battling against each possessive thought that flitted through his brain. "This skirt really is short, though, and this top is a little tight." She began tugging on the hem of her skirt, sitting down quickly when someone whistled at her, and it did everything in his and Happy's power to keep Natsu from either incinerating the man or hiding Lucy.

She did cock her eyebrow, though, when a snarl slipped past his lips, face still flushed in embarrassment and hands shaking slightly. "Ignore him," the blue cat chirped out, nervously glancing back and forth. "Or maybe tell him jokes or something."

"Jokes," she hummed out, picking up a fry and chewing it thoughtfully. Instead of complying, she took another fry and waved it under the dragon slayer's nose, watching him blink rapidly for a moment before moving his head back, glancing down at the piece of food in slight confusion. "Eat up, Natsu. We still have to meet the client."

"He catcalled ya," the dragon slayer choked out, rage still knotted in his throat. "How are ya okay with that?" She seemed confused for a moment, the thought of him being so angry over someone hitting on her very vulgarly bewildering if she were honest, though she offered him a smile and a quick shrug, feeding herself some more fries.

"I've had so many people do so much worse," she said after a long while, not seeing Happy's desperately shaking head. "It's embarrassing, but a whistle doesn't really bother me much, I guess." It was a lie, a complete lie, meant to put his mind at ease- she always felt disgusting and ashamed after knowing that some stranger was checking her out- though she could see the enraged fire burning in his pupils and furrowed her eyebrows together. "Natsu, what's the matter?"

He wanted to blurt out that some stranger had just checked out something that was his, though he settled on snapping his jaws irritably and reminding himself that she didn't know that he saw her as a part of his hoard and she certainly didn't agree to being a part of it. "How long have you been dealing with that?" he asked instead, words seethed out through clenched teeth. She looked to the cat for help, but he only gave her an exasperated shrug.

"I don't know. A few years?" She saw the muscles in his face tighten this time, and leaned across the table to cup his face in her gloved hands, a smile on her lips and a bit of anxiety in her pulse. "Natsu, It's fine, it really is. I'm not the only girl to deal with catcalls, most people do. While I think it's wonderful that you get so upset over it, you don't have to focus so much on me being their target. It's happened before and, Mavis knows, it'll happen again." She pat his cheek, grounding him once more as he bit back the majority of a growl, and he refocused the entirety of his attention on her once more. "How about I pack up the food, and we go to the client now? We can finish it back in the hotel after we complete the job, alright?"

"Yeah," he grunted out, voice still strained with his anger. Taking a deep breath, he tried to push his feelings back under an indifferent mask, that didn't quite seem to fool the blonde. He found that he didn't mind, though, because the moment she had finished putting their food in her bag, she had slipped her hand around his wrist, he supposed to ground him against his anger, though the voluntary contact only made it seem like she was staking a claim over him, and he found that the draconic part of his mind didn't mind one bit.

* * *

When she had seen the reward price on such a simple mission, she supposed she should have known that the client would be wealthy, especially to be targeting someone as high standing as the Duke Everlue. "Wow, Lucy! Look at how big their house is!" Happy cooed out from on top of her head, careful not to ruin the meticulous pigtails she had put into place considering how nicely she had asked him- and how much fish she had promised to store in her icebox.

"It's a magnificent mansion," Lucy finally settled on replying, careful not to let any strong emotions show on her face as she wrung the cuffs of her long coat, having been forced into it after Natsu nearly fought the next three cat callers. "It could almost be mistaken for the Duke Everlue's manor." She stayed quite a distance away from the door as Natsu knocked on it, sending her a curious glance that had her stepping forward and latching on nervously to the rosette's wrist, an almost inaudible purr pulling a small giggle from her before the door cracked open slightly.

"May I have your name, please?" a well manicured voice breathed out nervously, almost as if afraid that someone would overhear and attack.

"We're mages answering your request from Fairy Tail," the celestial mage answered after a long moment of silence and pleading eyes from the dragon slayer, though the voice behind the door hastily shushed her.

"Be quiet, please!" Ducking behind Natsu's arm, she gave a small nod, unsure of what else to do, or if this was some kind of Fairy Tail client behavior that she should get used to. "Excuse me, but could you enter through the back door please?" He didn't wait for the answer, slamming the door back closed, which was surprisingly loud given the small space. She kept her grip on the rosette's wrist, tugging him along gently behind her as she made her way knowingly around the left side of the house- the servants _always_ had the left side of the house, after all. It was like some aristocrat superstition- and to the servant door, or the back door if the wealthy wanted to seem humble. After knocking again, they were hastily ushered in by a middle aged woman with greying rosewood hair and lead to the grand hall, decorated like it was a parlor. "I'm terribly sorry," the posh voice from before stated, drawing the blonde's attention away from her analysis and to a lanky man with a tiny bush of a mustache shadowing his nose. "I'm the client, Kaby Melon, and this is my wife, Ronda." The woman from before smiled, anxiously brushing at her skirt, and Lucy felt herself soften.

"Melon," Happy pondered idly for a moment, a giant smile breaking over his face as he declared, "Your name sounds yummy."

"Happy, that's imp- rude." Her cheeks heated at the curious looks shot towards her, berating herself for her slip of tongue. Regardless, the name made a dull sensation of knowing something tug at the back of her mind, keeping her torn between confusion, embarrassment, and frustration as Kaby waved off the mistake and continued on.

"I never could have imagined that mages from the renowned Fairy Tail guild would have taken my job. And you're so young, you must be famous mages."

"I was wondering why such a good job was still available," the blonde hummed back politely, pinching the dragon slayer's hand when he growled out something about Everlue being a pervert. "Natsu here is also called Salamander."

"Oh, I've heard of that alias!" he chimed out excitedly. He brushed off his joy- he was never up to date with new mages and magic trends, after all- and settled his forearms against his thighs, wrinkling his dark suit in a way that had the blonde wincing. "Let's talk about the job. There's only one thing I want you to do. Everlue owns the one and only copy of a book called Daybreak. I would like you to burn it."

Everyone was silent for a moment, either taking in the request or allowing it to sink in, before the celestial mage finally regarhered her bearings, surprisingly quickly in Natsu's opinion. "That's surprising," she said slowly. "When I had read the job, I had figured he had stolen a book from you and you wanted it back."

"I'm asking you to destroy someone else's possession without permission. It's pretty much the same as stealing, if we're being honest."

"What is this book, anyways?" Lucy asked hesitantly, scowling lightly when Happy flicked her in the face with his tail.

"Who cares what the book is?" the cat cheered in her ear. "We'll burn down the whole mansion if we have to! It's _two hundred thousand jewels!_ "

"No," Kaby argued. "I raised the price to two million jewels this morning." He took a gander at their shocked expressions, his own eyebrows pulling together in confusion. "Did you not know about the increased reward?"

"Why increase it all a sudden?" Natsu asked with a scowl on his face. It was alarming how high the price was, far too close to an S-class reward for Lucy to be doing for her first time _on her own_ , and the worry that came with having such a dangerous mission pushed onto something he saw as his made his fingers wrap around her arm.

"That book really needs to be destroyed," he said, a darkness staining his tone that made the pair stiffen. "I can't forgive that books existence."

A solemn silence flitted through the air, broken once more Happy's failure to read the atmosphere. "C'mon, Lucy! Lets go get this mission done! You can get me one of those cat posts for your apartment with the reward!" he cheered, grabbing the shoulders of her coat and wrapping his tail around her waist before flying off, knowing that the strict eye Natsu kept on his newer pieces of his hoard would keep him close behind. The echoing slam of the back door reverberated around the empty manor, allowing both people still in the abandoned building to relax.

"Darling," Ronda hummed lightly, sliding her hand against his shoulders, finding a hole in the expensive material. "Are you sure you can entrust this job to kids like them? Lamia Scale failed This same mission just last week, and Everlue just brushed it off as a failed robbery. Surely the security has been tightened since then. It will be near impossible to get into the manor, now."

"I know," he mumbled into the palms of his hands, fingers weaving into the front of his messy hair. "I know that, but I just need that book removed from this world." She sat down beside him, holding him close as tears began to build in his eyes and his body shook under the stress he had put himself under, whispering her support to him.

* * *

Dainty hands shook down by the hem of her skirt, trying to keep from fidgeting with the frilly high socks that wouldn't stay high enough on her thighs for her personal liking, as she stared at the penitentiary like manor, a towering cube surrounded by imposing walls and steel gates. "Excuse me," she called out, finger pressing against the communication lacrima hung from beside the gate. "I'm here to apply for the job you posted. You were looking for a blonde maid, right?" There was no reply, not even a crackle of static that usually came with these particular lacrimas, and that somehow made the coiling in her stomach speed up. "Excuse me, is there anyone here?"

She waited another moment, reluctant to agree to Natsu's breaking and entering plan, and was rewarded by the sound of bricks crumbling behind her, her foot slipping into a hole that suddenly appeared and made her jump back towards the gate with a squeal. "A maid applicant?" a beast of a woman boomed out, her voice as guttural and unappealing as her appearance. Her maid's uniform was several sizes too tight, which wasn't surprising given her structure that could easily beat Elfman's own, and her eyes seemed to glow in the shadows of her wild bubblegum pink hair. "Master, there's a girl here for the maid position!" The blonde gave a soft yelp at her shout, sinking back further as she realized that the new hole in the ground had her cornered against the gate, and a short man with grotesque features and a plump figure appeared, twirling his slim mustache around a porky finger.

"Did you call me?" he asked blandly, as though the pretty teenager couldn't be given his time of day. The gorilla maid gestured towards Lucy, who quickly pushed all of her fears and anxiety away with a reminder that Natsu was hiding in the bushes a few meters away and the strangely large maid was keeping her gaze on the man. "Let me see."

She set to work, right arm coming around to grab her left bicep and make her breasts look more perky, shifting her weight slightly to the right, her figure becoming more pronounced in the short clothes. "Nice to meet you," she purred out to the best of her abilities- it had been easier to flirt with a man six times her age, and would probably be more comfortable to walk around the guild stark naked. She could practically _feel_ his gaze crawling over her like a swarm of ants on her skin, goosebumps rising in the wake of his gaze as she began to dig her nails into the flesh of her arm, trying to keep herself calm.

"Rejected, go home ugly." She nearly missed his words, too focused on the panic rushing through her, though the giant hands that clamped down on her waist and tossed her from the gates broke her out of her stupor, the blow to her appearance making her heart fall Even this sexual predator, this _pervert_ , though she was ugly.

Natsu, however, had nearly set the tree he was behind on fire in his blind rage that some lowly human had insulted a piece of his meticulously selected hoard, _a very pretty piece_ , mind you. Had it not been for Happy, he surely would have stomped out there and beat the man to a splat on the ground _and_ burned down his manor. The ground closed back up once the pair disappeared back into the estate, leaving the blonde to slink back behind the brush with a wavering smile on her face and crescent shaped marks on her left arm. "Sorry," she choked out around the lump in her throat, heavy arms falling around her and pulling her close.

"Ain't your fault he's _fuckin' blind_ ," the dragon slayer hummed out softly, an angered growl to his tone. He slowly let his anger go, knowing it was much more important to cheer her up than to leave her to her self doubts- doubts that he had overheard severald girls at the guild talking about as they grew older- even if that would mean getting revenge on the man who had insulted his hoard. "We just get ta use Plan C, now."

"Charge!" the cat chirped out, sad eyes falling onto the blonde as her shoulders began to shake.

* * *

"Lady Lucy Heartfilia," Everlue hummed out, smirking darkly as his collection of rather unappealing maids stared at him. "Girls, it seems we'll have to up our security. No doubt that brat is part of a guild now, and we've had several attempts of break ins. If you could, see what they're after before disposing of them, but leave the girl relatively unharmed. I know someone who would pay a pretty penny to have her." He waited until he was alone to pull out his personal communication lacrima, a smirk on his face as he called a rather unfamiliar, yet well known, person.

* * *

 ** _Hello again! I know it's the minute that I say I might post every day that I'll get swarmed with stuff or writer's block, but I just get so motivated seeing people reading/following/favoriting/reading and I just have to get the next chapter out to express my happiness. The current views are well over 1400, and I'm so excited about this!_**

 ** _Littlest1 , I'm so excited to be able to write the other dragon slayers interacting with Lucy, and I honestly can't wait for it. I will definitely include your requested spirits, just some time later so I can study up on them and personify them correctly based on my own interpretation. They are most definitely going to form Team Natsu still, I have a really cute little sibling thing planned for Gray and Lucy, and I'm excited to introduce Erza. Like most of the characters, she will be changed a little bit, and if anyone is ever confused on their backstories, let me know. _**

**_As for the reason Natsu is an S-class mage, later in the manga (possible spoilers), Natsu copes with his grieving by going off for a year to train when he sees Igneel die. I figured, Lisanna is one of the first pieces of the hoard he can call his own, and when she 'dies', she not only takes away the first piece of his hoard, but she shows him another way he can be abandoned by the people he cares about. I figured he would use training as a way to cope, a way to keep away from people so as not to grow closer, and Makarov acknowledged that. He had only been an S-class for a year before this story started, so keep that in mind._**

 ** _Some characters I'm thrilled to introduce/expose backstories for are Gray, Erza, Mirajane, Levy, Zeref, and Bickslow. Like I said, if you want a more solid sense of their backgrounds, let me know if you want summaries in the author notes or if you want like a separate story with a chapter for each person._**

 ** _Thank you all so much, and keep telling me any ideas you have!_**


	7. Chapter seven

**Chapter seven**

Back in her rosy camisole and ebony shorts, Lucy found herself soaring above the gates and up onto a small balcony on the roof, where Natsu was already staring into a room through the glass panes on the doors. Her arms were shaking from holding herself up, not used to having to support her body weight, since it was either that, or claws in her shoulders. Her feet touched the ground softly, regaining her balance with ease despite the slender heels she wore. "Thanks, Happy."

"Aye," the cat chimed out, landing beside her feet and weaving around her ankles, to comfort him or her he wasn't sure. "Why do we have to sneak in, though?" She looked down at him, eyes still red from holding back tears and face blotchy, and he pressed his face against her calf and wrapped his tail loosely around the other ankle.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked softly. "Despite it being under someone else's request, what we're doing in a robbery. Besides, if we do things wrong, the military will take action. We aren't targeting thieves and monsters right now. This is the town's most influential man, one of the most well known aristocrats in Fiore. Even if he is an annoying pervert, he's not a villain. We'd get in trouble for breaking and entering."

"But the C in Operation C stands for charge, so we should just go in through the front door and blow up everyone who gets in our way!" Happy tried again, looking up at her with sad eyes. "Besides, he was insulting you, wasn't he?"

"That doesn't mean we use violence," she chided lightly, looking over to see one of the glass panes melting around Natsu's hand, a smile tugging at her lips. "Good job, _Salamander_." Her voice was light and playful, meant to brighten the dreary mood, though that didn't stop the dragon slayer from perking up at her praise, no longer focused on the insult to his hoard. "It's a storage room?" She knelt down, what had looked like a door from the outside a window to the lowered room, and watched Happy instantly dive into a box of decorative bones.

"Natsu, Lucy, look at me!" The feline popped out of the crate with a skull over his head, his wide eyes fitting almost suspiciously well through the eye sockets, and the celestial mage cringed at the look while Natsu gave a small smile.

"It suits ya, Haps."

Pointedly ignoring the timbre in Natsu's voice and the mischievous look shot towards her by Happy, the blonde took a quick peek around- still not certain that she had been imagining the feeling of being watched and sure that she hadn't caught the video lacrimas every noble held within their homes- before deciding on a direction. "Let's go out through that door over there," she said slowly, a small shiver running up her spine as she took a glance over her shoulder, useless knick knacks staring back at her, and adding, "Be careful," as an afterthought.

Icy eyes dimmed slightly, the silver wolf draped over an antique vision lacrima no longer being viewed out of as the trio left the room.

* * *

Lucy had been leading them with surprising accuracy through the maze of corridors and stairways, which the duke seemed to have spaced out for absolutely no reason other than inconveniencing guests and thieves, only using the pair with her to make sure no one was walking where they would be going or hiding around any corners. "Wouldn't it be faster to find someone and just ask where the book is?" Happy finally asked, tired of their aimless wandering as they came upon yet another stairway.

"We can completely the job without being noticed like this," she said, looking down to the first floor and dragging the pair along behind her, fingers hooked around one end of Natsu's scarf- which was surprisingly soft and cool- and the other gripping Happy's tail lightly. "Just like ninjas."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the ground before they crumbled in on itself, five maids jumping out with varying degrees of frightening features- one looked like a pug and a bat _combined_. A snarl ripped out of the dragon slayer's throat, his arm hooking around Lucy and yanking her behind him as she let out a startled yelp, and he felt Happy's paw come to rest against his ankle, assuring him that the pair of them were safe behind him. "Intruder's detected," the pink haired beast in the center boomed out. "Eliminate the targets." A single flaming kick and they were downed, soot staining their skin while their clothes smoldered.

"Come on," Lucy said, scooping the feline up in one arm and grabbing Natsu's hand with the other. "We're almost there!" She dragged them down the hall and into a room with large double doors, shutting them as softly as she could before pulling a whip out of her bag and lashing out at a pair of lacrimas in the middle of the room. The two watched her, shocked, as she coiled the braided leather once more, uncaring about the shattered lacrimas, and tucked it back away in her bag. "That was close. Well, it's the library, so we should probably start looking around for _Daybreak_." She turned around, eyes lighting up at the sight of so many books, so much _knowledge_ , and her finger began to skim the spines of each novel, some in different languages that made her mind wander.

"I found a golden book," Natsu purred out, pulling the tome from its spot on the shelf and exposing black block letters that read _Daybreak_.

"You found it," the blonde breathed out around a smile, jogging over from her place on the opposite side of the room and looking down at the cover. The dragon slayer, despite his extensive knowledge on jobs and how to complete them, found himself craving the golden book, something that looked to be made out of an actual ingot and carved into.

"That was easy!" Happy chirped out, always there to remind the rosette of his duties. "Let's burn it, then."

"Wait!" Dainty hands shot out, snatching the novel from his hands, one of which was toying with flames, and looked down at the cover with such pure joy that he found himself reluctant to even hoard the strange book. "The author is Kemu Zaleon?" Her thumb brushed caringly against the cover, bright eyes turning to Natsu without a hint of sadness for the first time since they had set foot on the cursed property. "He's my favorite author and I'm such a huge fan of his. I thought I'd read all of his works, but that must mean that this one is an unpublished story." She got that little furrow in her eyebrows, eyes flitting towards the ceiling as she tried to piece together the client- his familiar name, his strange words, everything that had made her mind whirl nauseatingly since she had set foot in this town again- and what she already knew and remembered. "This doesn't make sense, though. There would be no reason for someone to hold such a large grudge over one of his stories, so why?"

"I see," a chilling voice that deflated the happiness on the blonde's face in an instant rang out, a plump body appearing from the earth and bounding towards the pair. "So that's what you guys were after. I'm glad I allowed you guys to do whatever. I'm such a genius." He took a menacing step forward, watching how the cerulean cat floated up and took residence on that golden head of hair while the rosette took a battle ready stance before the girl, a snarl in his throat. "I was wondering what the mages were looking for so frantically, and it was only that _worthless book_?"

"So we can take the book, then?"

Everlue gritted his teeth, fury burning in his eyes at the thought of _Lucy_ , the girl with everything she could ever hope for, taking a book made for him and him alone. "No!" he screamed, watching in sick satisfaction as she jumped in surprise, "Regardless of how worthless the book is, _it still belongs to me!_ " One of the dragon slayer's hands reached back, smoothing over her forearm, and absolute frustration decorating Everlue's face. When he had made the contract with Virgo- the maiden- he had imagined just that, a pretty girl to bend to his every whim, and he had been sorely disappointed when she turned out to also hold values that left her with the confusing nickname of the virgin. She had made him promise to only have consensual sex- which was the reason his entire staff looked like science experiments if he was being honest- or their contract would be nullified.

"Natsu," she breathed out, barely audible across the room, "something about this book isn't right. Will you keep me safe?" And there she was, doe eyes shining like perfectly rounded topaz stones and dark lashes framing them, and he found himself nodding dumbly, though he couldn't say that the request was too outrageous. Her crimson reading glasses were back on her face, the book open and pages flipping at record speed, though that only seemed to further anger the duke.

"Bullshit! I don't like this! How dare you touch a book when it belongs to Duke Everlue?" the round man screamed, though he was ultimately ignored by the blonde as she flicked pst the quarter point. "Come out, Vanishing Brothers, and finish these scum!"

"It's time for business," a rather suave voice purred out, immediately making Happy's fur bristle.

"If we get paid without doing any actual work, Mama will get mad at us," another man hummed, his voice adenoidal and unpleasant.

"Good afternoon," the first, a mostly bald man with a single long braid of thick black hair, greeted, bowing slightly. The tattoos decorating his face and his dark hair were the only things he and the man beside him had in common, even their eyes different-one midnight blue and one arctic blue.

"These brats are mages of Fairy Tail?" the second croaked out, towering over the first with a spike styled afro held out of his face by a bandana.

"Mercenaries from the guild Southern wolves," Natsu hissed out, inching more firmly between the pair and the reading female, Happy backing up to rest by her thigh while glancing around nervously. "Ya really hired guys like them?" Manic laughter rang through the air, breaking Lucy's concentration and making her regret ever picking the mission before focusing once more.

"Southern wolves are always hungry," Everlue chorused out, a dark tone to his voice that made the dragon slayer growl. "Prepare to die." A gasp drew all eyes to the blonde, thumbing her way back a few pages and rereading what she had just read.

"What a joke," the taller of the Southern Wolf mercenaries choked out, a find smile on his face. "They claimed to be mages of Fairy Tail." A sharp jab from his 'brother' and a snarl from the Fairy Tail man brought cold eyes back to the rosette, who once more hid the blonde behind his legs.

"Vanish Brothers, retrieve that book at once! I don't care if you have to kill them to do so!" Everlue snapped, cementing their job in their minds.

"Natsu, buy me some time!" Lucy called, already halfway out of the door with her nose buried in the book. "There's some kind of secret in this book!"

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted back, anxiety flaring in his veins as she disappeared, the one piece of his hoard that seemed cursed to draw unwanted attention to it now running away on her own. "Where are you going?" For once, he didn't care about the miniscule crack in his voice, an overbearing loneliness crashing over him as he listened for anything, not even the sharp clicks of her heels audible anymore.

"Change of plans, I'll go after her myself," Everlue rushed out, already burrowing into the ground with thoughts of treasure blinding him.

"I'll keep Lucy safe," Happy promised, hurrying to the door the blonde had just disappeared through. "I promise to keep her safe." Through the whirlwind of emotions dragged back into light by the fear of never seeing the blonde again, he remembered how trustworthy the cat was, how often he came running back before thoughts of abandonment could even cross Natsu's mind, so he steeled himself for battle and shoved away his feelings to deal with later.

"Come on fire mage," the first of the pair taunted, unaware of the already murderous thoughts curling through Natsu's head- along with self deprecation and doubts, of course.

"How do you know I'm a fire mage?" Natsu snarled out, flames licking along his knuckles.

"We saw everything in the surveillance lacrimas," the second man grunted out. "That girl, the celestial mage, was smart to notice them. The cat flies, too, probably with aera."

"And you, you melted the glass with your bare hand and then wore flames on your legs," the first finished, looking sly. "You're most likely an ability type, a fire mage."

"Ya shouldn't of wasted your time watchin' us," Natsu snarled back. "I'm gonna char ya regardless."

"Unfortunately, I must correct you," the bald one spoke again, swinging a giant frying pan in front of himself and wielding it effortlessly. "You see, fire mages are the worst opponents to face me."

"Is that right?" the dragon slayer drawled out, features showing off his collected boredom, though his eyes were blazing like the infernos of hell. "Allow me to prove you wrong."

"It seems like the mages of Fairy Tail think that they are the strongest people out there or something," the first hissed out, despite the small glimmer of terror that came with the confidence on their opponent. They had never faced someone who didn't quake at the thought of facing mercenaries of the Southern Wolves guild, especially the Vanishing Brothers- known for their ruthless and quick deaths.

"It is true that we hear a lot about you Fairy Tail mages, so we'll approve it's status as a mage guild," the second one drawled out slowly. "But a mage is a mage. You are no match for the professional fighters that are mercenary soldiers."

"Then come get me," he hissed out, his separation anxiety making him far more temperamental than he normally was. "I don't care if ya take turns to attack at once. I can beaty ya both."

"He's really lookin' down on us, nii-chan," the afro haired man ground out, his own anger apparent.

"Since our opponent is a fire mage, and I'm perfectly matched against fire mages, this should be over with quickly, don't you think?" The frying pan was swung so quickly that Natsu nearly lost sight of it, the earth splintering upon impact, and he went flying to the left, only to be grabbed by the taller of the pair and yanked through the air like a ragdoll. He went crashing through the wall of the library, flying to the second story and using a single hand to still himself, watching the Vanishing brothers as they chased after him.

"Is it really okay for you to break your employer's house?"

The question only seemed to anger the pair further, eyes burning brightly with their rage, and the bald man snarled out with a sense of false ease, "Do you know the weak point of a mage?" If he was expecting an answer, he didn't get it, silence reigning over the group for a long moment. "It's the body. You cannot learn magic without training your intellect and spirit. As a result, your body does not get enough training during the process of mastering magic, which means, compared to us, who train our body day and night, you are no match in either power nor speed." The frying pan came crashing down again, the dragon slayer hopping away as the stairwell began to crumble.

"One time, there was this mage," the second mercenary chuckled out, humor dark and deadly. "He spent years to master the curse magic, which can be used to break their target's bones. We encountered him once, but before he could cast the curse spell, we broke his bones with one hit. Years of effort wasted by just one hit." Natsu was forced to duck around their rapidly flying fists and that killer frying pan. "That's how mages are. If they don't have their magic, they don't even have the average power of a human being."

"Tell me then," he said, flipping away from the pair for a moment's breath, "why are none of your attacks hitting me."

"I see," the bald one gritted out, obviously annoyed with the fact. "You seem to have a comparable speed. You must have trained yourself."

"Nii-chan, he wouldn't be able to avoid _the attack,_ " the taller of the pair said, his voice taking in an odd seriousness that made the first of the pair seem more content. "A united attack!" The one with the afro jumped up and landed lightly on the frying pan, the bald haired man's hold not wavering in the slightest while supporting the added weight, and just stood there on the unmoving pan, dark eyes following him in slight confusion. "You can be confident for now, brat, but I'll tell you why we're called the _Vanishing_ Brothers. We vanish, and make our opponents vanish, too. Heaven and earth extinct slaying attack!" With one swift upward stroke, the man was flying through the air, drawing dark eyes with him, and leaving the bald brother to smirk.

"If you look to the heavens, we are down on earth," the shorter of the pair cooed out condescendingly, shocked when the dragon slayer merely sidestepped his attack.

"When you look to the ground, we are in the heavens!" A fire coated leg swiped up, knocking the taller of the pair off course and sending him crashing back down towards his brother.

"I'm tired of playin' games with ya," he snarled out, fingers itching to go find where Lucy and Happy had run off to. It wasn't that he didn't trust the two of them to protect themselves, because he was sure they could take on some creep like Everlue with no problem, it just just the waiting to see that was killing him, and he just wanted the insurance of _being_ there if he had to help. "I'll blow ya away! Fire dragon's roar!"

The two gained smiles, something that wasn't quite usual amongst opponents about to be burned, and the taller one cackled out, "Here it comes. Fire magic!"

"This is it," the bald man said around a smirk, frying pan coming around and absorbing the streams of fire. "Anti fire pan as well as our ultimate technique, fire cooking!" Flames curled beckoningly around the pan, the last one disappearing with a small lick at the metal, before the dark metal began to glow with warm colors. "My pan absorbs all of the flames, multiples their power, and sends it right back!" A pillar of fire came back, engulfing Natsu just as quickly as it had disappeared into the pan, and the taller of the pair began to howl with maniacal laughter.

"A roasted fairy! That's a perfect meal for starving wolves!" he laughed out, nearly crumpling to the ground at his own joke as his brother rolled his eyes, watching the fireball warily. Something just didn't sit right with him. Almost as if sensing his worries and mistaking them to be about his concern a- now fire coated- dragon slayer rocketed out of inferno and towards them. "The fire doesn't work? No! That can't be! Even if he is a fire mage, it isn't possible! It can't be!"

Calloused hands grabbed each of their heads, ignoring the struggles of getting the pan in between them and the insane chanting. "Fire dragon's wing attack!" Flames appeared from his hands, burning flesh and leaving screams in the air, but Natsu was so far past the point of caring, flinging the brothers over his shoulders as he went stalking after the fading scent of the celestial mage.

* * *

 ** _Okay, let me start by saying HOLY SHIT. You guys are AMAZING! Not only are there seventeen reviews, twenty seven favorites, and fifty follows, but this story has surpassed one thousand seven hundred views! You're all the best, making me feel all special like this!_**

 ** _Also, I'm sorry about the short chapter. I really hate the Everlue ark, but it's here to develope characters and I like the idea of Virgo (since she's known as the maiden and the virgin) being a firm advocate for consensual sex and punishing those who disbehave, hence why Everlue has the staff he has. That's just my take on it, though, and I don't really know anything about most things so there you go._**

 ** _For Lady Mafia Dragneel, the only reason I didn't do a whole big inquisition on Nyra with Natsu is because of the guild, really. When he he's more comfortable with Lucy and her spirits, you can bet that there's going to be a bunch of questions and answers for Nyra (maybe, this could be when Gajeel or Wendy are in the guild. I'm not sure yet.) Lucy's nightmare was basically on Jude and being found. I'll have more explanations for that later in the story, too. _**

**_For Naru285, you had me smiling from ear to ear in a Sprout's parking lot today! Thank you so soooo much for your kind review! You're a wonderful human being! Do you think that I should go back and make Mount Hakobe easier to understand? _**

**_Is there anything else that needs clarifying? Please, please, please let me know. You guys are the greatest and I appreciate every piece of feedback I get from you guys! Thank you all so much!_**


	8. Chapter eight

**Chapter eight**

 _"Bhagairt sé do shaoránacht a chur ar shiúl,"_ she read softly, as if afraid that some unwanted person would overhear her and discover the secrets of the tome for themselves _. "Tá brón orm as a fhágáil, mo mhac, ach ní raibh mé ach chun tú a chosaint."_ Solemn doe eyes lifted from the page, unable to stomach the text any longer, and began packing away her glasses, moving slowly either to process what she had just decrypted or careful not to jostle Nyra from her shoulders. "I never could have imagined…" Her voice failed her, grief pitting in her chest and making her heart stutter, though she chose to ignore it in favor of standing up, sure that even with her enchanted reading glasses, the Duke was nearby. Of course she had meant to draw him away, knowing that nobles were greedy and a secret hiding under their noses wouldn't sit well with the boisterous man for long, so she was sure he would follow her. She wasn't positive that she could take the duke on alone, of course she had faith in her own abilities and there was a sewer beside in if worse came to worst and it was either death by the sexual predator or her own spirit, but she knew enough about the Southern Wolf guild to know that Natsu didn't the need the stress of protecting her while fighting off three enemies, especially two mercenaries. "The secret that he put into this book… There's no way we could ever burn this book. Kaby-san deserves to read it."

Hands wrapped around her frail wrists, trapping both of her hands and the book behind her back in a painful twist. "Carrying around those enchanted glasses, you really are a great reader, aren't you?" Everlue cooed out near the nape of her neck, a silent request to Nyra keeping her silent despite her anger. "Now be a _good girl_ and tell me what you found. What is the secret in that book?"

"You're pathetic!" she snarled back at him, disgust crawling up her spine as he yanked her closer to the wall, his head appearing beside her hip. "I would never give these secrets to an enemy of literature such as yourself!" He sputtered in horror, more offended than he would have liked to admit that she had called him such, and gave her arms another sharp tug in retribution.

"An _enemy of literature_? How dare you say that to me, a _great_ and _highly_ _educated_ _man_?" he hissed out, punctuating each word with another tug. "Now tell me, you filthy cow, what is the secret? Is it a treasure map? A fortune hidden away from me? What secret does the book hold?" She kept her mouth screwed shut, eyeing where she laid her backpack just out of reach, and began the silent countdown for her spirit. " _Say_ _it_! If you don't say it, _I'll break your arms!_ "

"Now!" she screamed aloud, falling to her knees as Nyra lashed out, biting firmly onto Everlue's nose and making him pull away from her with a start.

"You disgusting woman! That is my book! I commissioned Kemu Zaleon to write it for me, so the secret of the book _is mine, too_!"

" _Commissioned_?" she shrieked, slipping the novel into her backpack and allowing the bag to swallow it away from prying hands, into the abyss that she had created and strained to maintain each and every day. "You're a _despicable liar_! You forced him to write the book to satisfy your greedy urges and insatiable ego!" Her whip was in her hand when she pulled away from the bag, topaz eyes watching as Happy soared quickly towards her and took a firm stance in front of the bag, earning himself a small look of gratitude from the blonde. "I will give you one last chance to admit your sins and confess to the military before I take matters into my own hands. What you did was unforgivable and deserves a lifetime of misfortune that I will gladly begin."

"Despicable, insatiable, misfortune that you will _gladly begin,_ hm?" he hummed out, far too amused for her liking. "Careful, missy. Common girls don't use such _big words_." His taunt froze her for a moment, icy fear traveling along her spine as she once again became aware of the feeling of being watched, though she didn't let it decapitate her.

"Nyra, go back," she said, tone frigid and terrifying, even Happy curling his tail around her bag and dragging it back a step with him. A small shower of stardust washed over the blonde, her keys chiming in her hands as she held one straight towards the duke, impassive features unnerving for the man.

"Celestial magic?" he asked, hiding his tremulous tone behind years of practice. "Anyhow, a few spirits and that stupid cat won't save you now, girlie. You won't be able to keep up with my diver magic and I will _make you pay_ for disobeying me." His words attempted to surface horrid memories, and yet she stood strong, leaping away as he reappeared in front of her in an explosion of pebbles, her hand snatching the bag, and Happy by extension, and tossing them across the sewer. She saw ivory wings appear out of the corner of her eye and returned her focus to the fight, rage only building as she reminded herself of the words in the story, ones that showed of greed and corruption no matter how it was viewed. "That book was written about me, so surely you knew that I was a mage. In fact, I would say I was at quite the disadvantage seeing as you know such much about me, and yet I can say with certainty that I know more about you, _Lucy_."

Beady black eyes widened in alarm, looking to the blonde to see what that meant, but he could only find that icy hatred in her eyes that she had since he had arrived. "I'm afraid I had no advantage in the first place. The book was an awful adventure novel with you as the main character, but your assets were greatly exaggerated and your faults seemed to be nonexistent. "

"Isn't it wonderful?" he asked, cutting Lucy off. "I'm the main character, but the content is such garbage. He was _Kemu Zaleon_ , and yet he wrote such complete _crap_! It's outrageous!"

"You forced him to write a story," the celestial mage reminded, a bite to her tone that made even the duke shudder, "so he merely wrote the truth. How could you act so high and mighty with _blood on your hands_?"

"High and mighty?" he snarled out in amusement. " _I'm_ high and mighty? It should be an honor for him to write a book about me!"

"You _threatened_ _him_!"

"So what?" A thundering silence followed his words, leaving the feline with a moment to gather his thoughts and sort through this new information. "It's his own fault for refusing in the first place. I _allowed_ him to write a book with my _'high and mighty'_ self as the main character, but that fool rejected the offer! All I did was tell him that if he wouldn't write it, I would be forced to withdraw the citizenships of all of his relatives!"

"Withdraw their citizenships?" Happy cried out in horror, drawing dark eyes to him. "If you did that, they wouldn't be able to join merchant guilds- or workman guilds! He couldn't possibly have that much authority!"

"Some parts of Fiore are still run with federalistic ideals," Lucy explained, watching the man disappear while simultaneously keeping an eye on the cat and her bag, "Even someone as preverse as Everlue could have absolute authority around here."

A clammy hand clamped around her ankle, giving a sharp tug and making the slender heel scuff against the ground while Lucy fought for balance. "In the end, he gave in to my demands, but the fact that he rejected me once got me angry, so I made him write it in solitary confinement!" Horrid laughter filled the air as Everlue tried to either break the ankle he was holding or the shoes she was wearing- she was far too agile for him to deal with on his own. "I crushed his pride as a distinguished writer!"

"How could you go that far just to get what you want?" Lucy screamed, slamming her other heel down on his arm and puncturing the skin, bone creaking under the weight until Everlue was forced to retreat back into his hole. "Can you imagine how he felt? He was in that damned cell for _three years!_ He was forced to fight against his pride every day, knowing that his family would have been in danger if he didn't write your stupid book! And still, under everything you put him though, he wouldn't allow himself to write a book of lies about such a terrible man, a writer's pride would never allow it!"

"You," Everlue growled out, clambering to his feet with blood dripping down his face rom the bite marks decorating his nose and cradling his injured arm to his chest, "how do you know so many details?"

"It was all in the book!"

His eyes grew wide before disbelief took over his features, staining his expression into something morbid. "That's not possible! I've read that book several times over, but Kemu Zaleon didn't put himself in there!"

"Of course he didn't!" she said, a growl to her words. "He just wrote you an awfully disappointing story for the commissioner if you read it like a regular book, but you should know about it, too, since you asked him to write for you. Kemu Zaleon was a mage before he was an author, and I would never betray him by telling you of his secrets! Open gate to the crab, Cancer!" Starlight masked the arrival of a bronze man, twin scissors in his hands and thinly veiled anger on his face. "Cancer, you opponent is the guy with the mustache!"

"At once, baby," he hummed out, his pleasantly rough voice unappreciated in the moment, save by Happy who gave a small pur of content.

"Never!" Everlue screamed, sounding panicked. His business was founded on illegal practices, any mage who could translate the book into something for a council member to read would doom him to a life in prison. "Open gate of the maiden, Virgo!" Concern gripped at the blonde for the smallest moment, eyes widening as another flash of starlight gave way to show off the gorilla maid. "Virgo, get that book at once!"

"Cancer, my request stays the same," Lucy said, a dangerous look crossing her face as she drew her whip taut in her hands. "Finish Everlue quickly. Virgo will disappear when he's defeated."

"Yes, Lucy, baby." Happy watched, transfixed as the crab began racing towards the duke, Lucy intercepting Virgo from both helping her master and grabbing the bag by flinging out her whip and throwing her weight against it. It was enough to make the spirit at least thrice her size stumble, something she was fairly proud of, and that was all she needed to keep the pair from achieving their goal.

"Happy, take my bag and find Natsu! If anything happens and you get caught, rip the bag! Everything inside of it will be transported to the guildhall!" Lucy yelled, the whip wrapped around Virgo's arm. She took off, swinging herself in a wide arc over the water that made the maiden fall into it with a splash that dampened the three still fighting, and the cat found himself hesitating to leave her alone. Memories of a funeral plagued his mind, leaving him anxious, but a small cry plea from the blonde spurred him towards the stairway. Lucy's whip lashed out, coiling tightly around Everlue's neck and keeping him from moving those last few inches into the hole he had made prior, well aware of the monstrous spirit pulling herself out of the sewer. "Cancer!" Instead of going for the duke, as Virgo had expected, he lept past Lucy and slammed himself into the maid, throwing them both back as the blonde swung her target into the wall, knocking him out cold and leaving both spirits to fade away in stardust that glimmered in the sewage water.

* * *

Frustration and panic mingled together the minute he had lost her scent, a faint shimmer of stardust telling him that, rationally, she had summoned that dragon spirit that always seemed to nullify her scent. Regardless, he was nearly tearing his hair out while following the wild trail Happy left that went every which way and looped around the hallways at least three times, unable to hear the sounds of battle and unsure what to take of that. It had been far too long, he should have been more time efficient in his fight or have followed Lucy completely, and he was nearly losing his mind. Where was Happy when he needed to calm down?

"Natsu!" The cat called, racing towards him with Lucy's bag. A sound like a worried whimper and an enraged growl tore through his throat, the feline well aware that it wasn't aimed at him, and he turned on his tail and began the way he just came. "C'mon, Natsu! Lucy is fighting the duke guy and the gorilla maid with some weird crab guy!" _That_ did nothing to calm his nerves.

"What d'ya mean? Why'd ya leave her?" Natsu shrieked out, heart torn between racing and stopping altogether- it ended up doing some stuttering jig that only made his mind fuzzy. He wasn't even aware that he was running until he began stumbling down the stairs, feet moving too fast to be sturdy, and a head of golden hair appeared at the bottom. "Luce!"

"Natsu?" she asked a moment before he tackled her in a hug, leaving her squealing as she fell to the concrete with the dragon slayer on top of her. "Natsu? Are you alright? What's the matter?" He has his nose pressed against her throat, trembling as she curled her own arms around his shoulders and began carding her fingers through his silken hair.

"Such a sweet master," a monotonous voice cooed from beside Happy, too soft for even Natsu to hear in his blind panic. "It would be an honor if I were to be contracted to her." Baby blue eyes looked towards the ceiling, where the Rune Knights could be heard flooding into the room by the dozens, before turning back to the shocked cat. "Now that Master is to be imprisoned, our contract is nullified. Do give Mistress my key, won't you?"

Happy nodded dumbly, a golden key falling into his possession as the slender woman faded away, the pair on the ground none the wiser. Deciding not to keep Natsu from the calming he needed to do before the military stormed into the basement and tried to haul everyone off and not quite knowing how Lucy's bag worked, the key found itself tucked away in the green knapsack tied around Happy's throat.

* * *

A group of men and women, trained to be impassive to everything they might encounter, found themselves gawking at the rosette who had caused so much trouble for the Magic Council curled up against a golden haired girl who looked about as confused as they felt. She attempted to stand, though strong arms only wrapped around more tightly around her waist and a weak whine slipped past his lips. "Natsu," she cooed sweetly, only to ear a whimper in response. She had caught on relatively quickly to his possessive tendencies- what else could describe his constant presence and his snarling towards catcallers?- and was worried about the military trying to arrest them. "Duke Everlue is a criminal. I have incriminating evidence against him, but it is not mine to share. Check upstairs for ledgers, though. Fireplaces, behind paintings, and drawers are common places to hide secret compartments, and I promise that we'll comply while you're looking for them."

One of the knights nodded to her, instructing that groups will be assigned to either check rooms or watch the four in the basement. They had two people watching them, Happy coming over to rest against Lucy's side, grateful when she began scratching his head in a similar manner to how she was Natsu's. The dragon slayer had long since gone silent, mentally and emotionally exhausted, and simply relished in the fact that he had the celestial mage tucked under him and his cat's tail curling leisurely through his fingers. It took nearly an hour for someone to find signs of illegal activity, the Fairy Tail mages going free with a stern scolding for breaking into the manor, and Lucy found herself being herded between the cat and the dragon slayer, not that she particularly minded, a smile staining her lips.

* * *

Happy found himself perched atop Lucy's head, her giddy demeanor keeping a content look on his face despite how emotionally taxing the whole mission was for everyone, as she fished around for the book in her bag, a hint of silver bathing the interior as she pulled the book out. "What are you doing?" Many shouted, everyone flinching and a rather guttural warning growl spilling into the air. "If I remember correctly, I requested that you burn the book."

"Actually, if you want to destroy it, you'll have to do so yourself." Her defiance only seemed to further irritate the man, her hand coming down to smooth Natsu knowing how much worse Kabys attitude would make the dragon slayers mood.

"Fine then," he hissed out, snatching the book from her hands and trudging towards the fireplace. "If you won't incinerate it, then I will! I don't even want to look at this book!"

"And I understand why," she soothed. "I understand why you can't tolerate this book's existence. It's to protect your father's pride, right? You are the son of Kemu Zaleon."

"How did you know?"

The pads of her fingers curled around Natsu's latte skin, drawing nonsensical shapes to keep her nerves up. "Have you ever read that book?" Her voice was calm despite the anxiety that the dragon slayer was privileged to seeing, the blonde growing silent to give Kaby time to mill over his jumbled thoughts.

"No," he finally said, staring down at the book. "No, I've only heard of this book through my father, but it would be a waste of time to read it. My father told me that this book is a piece of trash. My father was ashamed to have ever written Daybreak. Thirty one years ago, my father came home after being gone for three years. He came home and he _cut off_ his own arm. In the hospital, he gave me all this crap about doing it because the pay was good and always thinking about me, but he was ashamed of the book that made me lose respect for him as a writer and a father. Right after that, he committed suicide. I hated him even after he passed away. I also hated that he was too weak to stand up for himself. As time passed, I grew to regret the words I had said to him that day. Maybe if I hadn't said such terrible things, he wouldn't have killed himself. _That's_ why I want to get rid of this piece of shit book. Only through this can my father ever regain his pride as a writer."

The book was over the flames, hesitance causing Kaby's limbs to tremble, and Lucy stepped forward with a small smile and a quick chant of, _"Nochtann."_ All at once, the magical glow of the book brightened and the ink began to peel off of the cover, curling through the air and resorting themselves into a foreign language that brought tears to the man's eyes. "Zekua Melon, under the alias Kemu Zaleon, cast a spell onto this book, a spell that shuffled the characters in this book, changing its content." She looked so at home amongst the flowing letters, ink weaving through her hair as she retreated back to Natsu's side, Happy watching in awe from the top of her head. "He didn't quit being an author because he had created a bad book. He stopped because he had completed his masterpiece. _Daybreak_ is the book Everlue forced him to write, an adventure novel staring him as the main character. _This_ is what he truly meant to leave behind, letters to his son from every day that he was gone. It had terrible grammar and development, which is how I knew that there must be a secret to it."

"Dad," the man choked out, his wife hurrying to his side as he began to flip through the pages, words from his father on every centimeter. "I never understood. I never understood _him_. I can't burn this book. Thank you."

"Of course," she said softly, a smile on her face. "We should probably get going, now. And you should go home too, Kaby-san. I'm sure you're rather uncomfortable in this house." She sent a wave over her shoulder, dragging Natsu behind her and hurrying away from the entry hall, sure that she would have nightmares for weeks because of this mission alone.

* * *

 ** _YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! The views are skyrocketing, you're reviews have me in tears, and you're all so supportive! I honestly just had to finish up this arc, because now I get to include other longtime characters in the story. _**

**_Silver Light of Dawn , you are a saint coming in here and complimenting me like this. And if you think Natsu is feral, wait until you see Gajeel and even Wendy. This story's got some surprises in it for you. _**

**_Slvr0107 , you literally had me calling my friend in tears, so like, bless your soul. I hope good things come your way. And who do you ship Natsu/Lucy with If you don't ship Nalu. I'm genuinely curious, not like "who else could possibly" yada yada yada. I just want to see if I can do justice for any of your other ships or make you enjoy ships you have liked before. Thank you so so so much again, you're an angel. _**

**_Littlest1 , I don't really remember much of Loke's arc, but I write from the manga with my own personal touches, so I can say that it won't be too different, but the characters are most likely going to behave differently. I'm actually really excited for the filler chapter where they all switch bodies because it's going to be like a crack chapter, but still definitely in character. I've already started planning it honestly. Galuna is going to be pretty different, and I haven't even begun to plan Tenrou if I'm being honest, but I'll work hard on them for you! I hope you love the way I'm going to portray Erza, because she has a rather complex backstory, too, and it's dizzying to figure out really. I honestly love Bickow and I want him to be more prominent. He has a tragic power, really, and it only makes me love him more. Did you enjoy everything so far? I think you've been with me since like day one, so an extra special thanks to you!_**

 ** _Naru285 , I hope this chapter lives up to your kickass Lucy fight dreams! I'll definitely go back and redo some of the Macao arc. And I get really heated about Lucy's lack of fights, too. Like she's such a wonderful character to show growth with especially, considering her background and such, so why just tie her up and make Natsu save her?_**

 ** _I'm sorry if this chapter was rushed (please let me know if any are so that I can go back and fix them) and I'll try to cut down on my author notes one day. Thank you all so much and please keep giving me feedback!_**


	9. Chapter nine

**Chapter nine**

Lucy stood in front of the job board, rolling her weight from her tall heels to the balls of her feet and back again, the dragon slayer standing a breath behind her with his chin practically on her shoulder. "Let's see," she hummed out, her voice melodious despite the fatigue she felt and the bags under her eyes. "Search for a magic bracelet, remove a spell from a cursed stick, romantic fortune telling through astrology, exterminating a devil on a volcano."

"I getta pick out this mission," Natsu interjected quickly, stilling her bobbing by resting his cheek against her own. "And ya needa stop lookin' at all the dangerous shit, Luce."

"I did fine against Everlue!" she argued swiftly, spinning on her heel and pinning him with an adorable attempt at a glare. "Besides, I was looking at all of the jobs, there are just a lot of dangerous ones." A tinkling laugh came from the bar, where Mirajane propped her chin up on her interwoven hands, staring at the two with hearts practically floating around her head and mirth in her sapphire eyes.

"If you two find anything that interests you, let me know," the barmaid giggled out, ignoring the scowl Natsu aimed at her. "I'm in charge of jobs since Master's attending the regular guildmaster's meeting." Pulling the dragon slayer to the bar in order to speak more easily to the ivorette, she parroted out the unfamiliar phrase and settled down into one of the barstools. "It's a meeting where guild masters from different provinces come together to report about their guilds to one another. It's different from the council meetings, but I guess it can be a bit confusing at first." Mirajane sent Lucy a small wink, reaching into the satchel at her hip- the magic recognizing the tiny mark of a pig's snout at the base of her thumb and giving her access to the hidden items- and pulling out a light pen. "It's difficult to keep track of the organizational chart of the guild world since you've just joined a guild, right?" She was drawing rectangles quickly, beautiful cursive words shining in the air. "The ten council members who have connections to the government hold the highest position in the mage world, and they exist to protect the order in the magic world. They also try mages who have committed crimes in guilds. Guild masters are right underneath them. Their jobs are to smoothen communication between guilds in every province and notify their guild members about council decisions, as well as bringing them together. It's quite a difficult job."

"I had no idea that guild masters were so closely connected with one another," the celestial mage said softly.

"Connections between guilds are important," the snowy haired woman said softly. "If they're neglected, the guilds become illegal, or more commonly known as dark guilds."

"Natsu should be in a dark guild," a frigid voice chuckled out, making the rosette leaning against Lucy's back growl lowly. "I still don't know how that ash brained moron got someone like you to be on his team. You do know that ya don't have ta force yourself to team up with someone." Soothing Natsu with a hand on his wrist, the blonde found herself peeking towards the inky haired man who was nude more often than not- Gray, if she remembered correctly. "News that ya did an excellent job on your last mission has spread 'round the guild. I bet you'll get plenty of recruitment offers."

"Lucy!" the ginger haired man- was his name Loke?- purred out silkily. "Would you like to make a love team with me? Just the two of us, tonight." The snarl that tore through the air made even Mirajane take a precautionary step away from the pair, all eyes pinned on the two as Lucy began to swirl designs along Natsu's forearm and began to calm him down.

"Thanks, but I'm actually fine with being on a team with Natsu," she said with a bright smile. "He's a great person to go on jobs with. Very reliable. In fact, he defeated two mercenaries from the dark guild Southern Wolves and still was worried about me fighting some perverted duke and his celestial spirit."

"He made you fight a _perverted man_?" Mirajane seethed from behind the bar top, the roles reversing quickly as Lucy found herself hopping onto the wooden counter and gave the older girl a squeeze on the shoulder.

"No, he didn't _let_ me. Technically I drew Everlue away from Natsu, but I did just fine!" she said, smiling brightly and thawing Mira's icy demeanor.

" _You did what?_ " The dragon slayer, however, was a bit harder to calm down after that.

* * *

Heart thundering beneath his ribs and sending anxious pains from chest throughout his body- mimicking a heart attack, but he knew he would never be so lucky as for a premature death- he tried desperately to tear his eyes away from the chiming keys on the blonde _celestial_ mage's hip. He didn't know her, definitely not well enough to judge her, but he couldn't help the sudden panic that flowed through him at the thought of stardust and _pain_. He realized with a start that he had stumbled back a few steps, the space between them helping to ease the haze in his mind, though he quickly remembered that _she_ never let him escape, she always intervened at the door. Loke turned and bolted, deciding that he could stand for his back to earn another mark rather than seeing and defending himself, making it through the grand double doors that he had only found two years prior, after a year of grieving and stumbling about Fiore in search of death.

He was racing through the streets, the fresh air doing so much to clear his head of the haze seeing keys had done to him, when an unmistakable flash of scarlet caught his eye, freezing him in his tracks. It was well known amongst Fairy Tail mages that if you saw the telltale red hair and large mound of luggage, you warned the guild so that they could straighten their behavior or run away. Stealing his nerve against being back in the guild when Lucy, that _celestial mage_ , was there, he spun around and rocketed back towards Fairy Tail with words building on his tongue. He slammed the doors open, shouting, "Erza's back!"

A handful of people made quick escapes, through the back and windows, before the front doors were slammed open again, throwing the room into tense stillness that left only a few people unaffected. Topaz doe eyes found themselves locked onto the scarlet haired woman as she walked it, clothed in armor most Rune Knights couldn't afford and carrying a gnarled horn twice as tall and several times wider than her entire body on her shoulder, the celestial mage awed into silence by the respect she commanded, her strength, and her fierce beauty. "I'm back," she said, her fruity voice surprisingly soft compared to her mocha eyes. "Is Master present at the moment?"

"Welcome back," Mirajane cooed out joyfully. "Master's attending the regular meeting right now. Is something the matter, Erza?"

"Erza-san, What is that humongous thing?" the buck toothed man, Kurov, stammered our weakly, his tremulous voice shadowing over Mirajane's question.

"This?" Her voice was lilted like a surprised question, and yet her eyes spoke that she had expected the question and prided in her prepared answer, showing either intuitive she was or how much she controlled those around her, both qualities earning Lucy's respect. "The local townspeople decorated the horn of a demon I subdued as a gift, and it was just so pretty that I had to bring it back." A knowing smile curled onto Mirajane's face, mocha eyes straying to her for a moment before noting her understanding and continuing on, leaving the rest of the guild gaping at her words. "Anyways, I've heard that you've all been bothersome while I was away. Even if Master forgives you for causing such trouble, I won't. Cana, That's an inappropriate drinking position. Vijeeter, if you are going to dance, do it outside. Wakaba, you've been leaving cigarette butts all over the floor. Nab, stop hanging around the request board. Just pick a job already. You all are so much trouble, I can't even begin to reprimand you all. By the way, are Natsu and Gray here?"

"Aye!" Happy chirped, standing on the bar by Lucy's arm, and hooded mocha eyes widened at the sight of the recluse dragon slayer dealing himself over some stranger.

"Hey Erza," Gray chokes out, cold sweat beading on his temple as he casually leaned against the bar. "We're still be best of friends as always!"

"I see," she said, eyeing the way Natsu put this stranger on the opposite side of him as Gray, though it wouldn't have been obvious if she didn't know their true discontent with each other. "Best friends do fight every once in a while, but I'd rather see you two being good to each other all of the time."

"Like I said, were the best of friends!" the dark haired male chirped out.

"I'm glad to see that the two of you are doing great and being such good friends." Her eyes lingered on the blonde, questioning her presence while being completely welcoming at the same time, though she quickly moved further towards the bar to keep herself on track. "I actually have a favor to ask from the two of you. I heard some troubling things while returning from a job. Usually, I would consult Master about this first, but I believe this matter to be too urgent to wait. I need your help. You'll both come with me, right?" Everyone recoiled slightly, even the dragon slayer dipping more firmly onto the blonde to create more space between him and the scarlet haired mage, and the whispers began almost immediately.

"What's going on?"

"This is the first time I've ever seen Erza teaming up with someone else!"

"She defeated such a humongous monster, too."

"Erza, Natsu, and Gray," Mirajane whispered, catching Lucy's attention and holding it with her slight trembles and awed eyes. "Two S-class mages and one well on his way. I've never imagined it, but this could very well be the strongest team in Fairy Tail." All at once, complete joy for her first friend made itself known and crushing depression washed over her, reminding her that his success would only leave her behind, though who was she to hold him back.

"We leave first thing tomorrow morning. Prepare yourselves," Erza said, turning on her heel and marching out of the guildhall, scooping up her ornamental horn with ease. "I'll tell you all of the details on the way." The moment she was gone, Lucy put on her brightest smile and spun towards Natsu, knocking him off balance as her shoulder was suddenly yanked out from under his forearm.

"Congratulations!" she chimed out brightly, crinkling her eyes into a squint to hide the anxiety of being forgotten from his knowing gaze. "Part of the strongest team, huh? _That's_ an honor."

"Who said I was goin'?" he argued quickly, not liking how much he had felt her shoulders slump. "It's my turn to pick out a mission, and ya just have ta deal with it." The smile dropped off of her face, uncertainty and doubt hanging on her features, and his eyebrows rose in question to her downcast expression, not that the gossiping guild noticed anything.

"Don't let _me_ stop you," she urged lightly, more sincere. "Erza-san seems like a strong person and a talented mage. To be chosen by her says many things about you, so you should go." Before the rosette could argue, Mirajane sauntered over with a devious twinkle in her eye and a knowing smirk gracing her lips.

"While it's true that the three of them would make the strongest team, I'm worried about how much they fight with one another," she said slowly, wiping away some water that had melted since the guild's fight. "Would you consider going along with them, Lucy? To be a mediator?" The blonde looked about ready to protest, unease etched onto her face, but then she saw the dark scowl aimed at the barmaid and the challenging smile on her face.

"If you really think I should, I guess I could," she pondered, joking of course, but she suddenly realized that her agreement was a pivotal point in Mirajane's plan.

"Perfect! I'll let Erza know tonight, so you'd better go pack up! Who knows, you may have to take over Natsu's role if he decides not to go with you.." She was shooed away from the bar, a sulking dragon slayer storming to her apartment behind her, ready to inform her on how dangerous it was to partake in one of the barmaid's plans. She wasn't called the _She Devil_ for nothing.

* * *

Dark eyes watched the dainty hands fold, yet another, shirt meticulously, her own doe eyes glued to the fabric in her hands if only to ignore how positively furious he was- not at her, of course, but how could Mirajane even _think_ that sending Lucy on an unofficial job that _Erza_ needed help on was a good thing? "I thought it was a joke," the blonde explained meekly, afraid that he would decide her foolish agreement was reason enough to stop going on jobs with her. "I would never have… I didn't _mean_ to…"

"You're fine, Luce," he assured her quickly, falling onto her rather soft bed- why hadn't Mirajane given it to _him_ _?-_ and letting out a low groan. "Just stay close ta me, 'kay? I'll keep ya safe." He knew that she couldn't back out now, not if Erza knew about it, and so he was forced to sulk and silently curse Mirajane for endangering a part of his hoard, a piece he was sure had some sort of bounty on it for the sole reason of the _danger_ that the girl attracted. "'Sides, it won't be so bad; you, me, Haps… Frosty, and Erza."

"It won't be bad," she assured him, shoving her shirts into that tiny backpack and moving on to her bottoms- she had included a couple skirts because one never knew when it was necessary to dress up. "After this, I'll let you pick the next few jobs, okay? Whatever you want." He agreed reluctantly, knowing that he would never pick something that she would have no interest in, and let out a small purr when she gave his scalp a light scratch. "Cheer up. I'm sure the job will get done in no time at all, with everyone there."

"Will you summon the dragon again?" he asked quickly, springing up to sit next to her and give her the most eager puppy eyes she had seen to date. "I wanna talk to it."

"I guess," she stammered out, drawing her keys from their belt- a gift from a pixiesque teenager she had bonded with quickly on her few days in the guildhall. Picking out the familiar silver her, she flicked it through the air expertly. "Open gate of the northern dragon, Draco!" Nyra appeared in the blonde's lap, looking towards the dragon slayer boredly, though she could only see curiosity and fascination staring back at her.

"Where does it come from?" He peeked back up at the blonde, her eyes soft and confused.

"The celestial spirit realm," she said slowly, unsure what he was looking for as he began his interrogation.

"What can it control?"

" _It_ ," Nyra hissed out, earning a shocked look from the man, "can speak for herself." Waiting only for his muted apology, she quickly began to list things off in an attempt to make a fool out of the dragon slayer. "I can manipulate sizes, mask scents, and track fairly well.. Of course, I'm more of a defensive spirit- I'm not called a guardian for _nothing_ \- so I'm not one for fighting, normally."

"So _you_ were the reason I couldn't smell Luce at first?" he asked, earning an embarrassed exclamation from the blonde and a nod from the spirit.

"Just because you smelt like a dragon doesn't mean I could entrust you with my mage," she said snippily, moving away from the pair to curl up like some common housecat on Lucy's pillows. " _You_ should understand that well enough."

"How'd ya know 'bout that?" he shrieked out, a flush instantly appearing on his cheeks. Her own damn spirit knew that he had hoarded her away, and he didn't have the power to stop her should she decide that Lucy should know.

"I'm a dragon," she said, her amber eyes taking on a dull look of disbelief. "I understand. It was the hair at first." He gave a semi defeated nod, shoulders slumping, though that only seemed to further confuse the blonde. "I promise that I won't say a word on dragon things unless I see it as a danger to my mage." Lucy understood that for what it was- Nyra was telling her that this was none of her business and it didn't compromise her in any way- so she merely brushed her curiosity aside and pulled a book from her shelf as the interrogation, which she had lost interest in, continued.

It wasn't until there was a long pause that the celestial mage found herself being drawn back into the questioning, her eyes faltering away from the Joyan words. "Do you know where Igneel is?" Natsu asked, though his voice had a certain pleading tone to it. Even the dragon, who had been rather cruel towards him thus far, hesitated before sinking back into the pillows.

"Yes," she said, quickly continuing before she could be interrupted. "I am not allowed to tell you, though, nor any of the other dragon slayers. I made a promise, and I wouldn't be a celestial spirit if I broke it." Without another word, she disappeared, leaving a faint shimmer on the pillow as Lucy placed the book down beside her bag and crawled towards the silent rosette.

"Natsu?" she asked softly, hesitating for only a moment before pressing her hand against his shoulder and curling into his arm to offer some comfort. He wanted to be cold, to chase her off so that he could mourn the lead on his father in peace, and yet he found her to be so much like _Lisanna_ in that moment, that he leaned more heavily against him. "I'm so sorry that Nyra couldn't tell you…" He burrowed his face into the crook of her neck, allowing her delicate smell to slowly calm him down and ground him against the dissociation he felt, the memories of waking up alone tormenting him.

"Ya ain't gotta be sorry," he grumbled out, the fingers carding through his hair eliciting a breathy purr from him. "Ya didn't do nothin' wrong." He was just so _tired_ \- mentally, emotionally, and now physically- of the disappointment and the pain and the fear that still coursed through him at realizing he was alone. No, he reminded himself as another rumble of content broke past his barriers, earning a delicate laugh from the blonde, he wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

Tendrils of shadows crept along the barren earth, dead foliage and gnarled roots lining the bottom of each twisted tree, though the imposing building behind the scene made the horrid forest look like something out of a fairy tale, who's to say it wasn't already? Regardless, boisterous laughter and scathing voices sounded from behind the gate, the people within the building as frightening as its appearance from the outside, not that they much minded. "Which guild is that woman from?"

"Dunno."

"She's gorgeous," another man cooed out around his beer, taking a swift drink before slamming the iron mug on the countertop in his frustrations. "Damn it! I shoulda made a move on her!"

"You wouldn't stand a chance!" Another round of howling laughter sounded, unfitting for the ballroom that was covered in mildew and falling apart at the seams.

"Is Kageyama back yet?" a suave voice hummed out in a disinterested tone, earning several wary eyes.

"It's not an easy job to break the seal of such a guarded weapon," another man, dressed like the Desiertan mummies in children stories, laughed out, "so it can't be helped."

"Don't be hesitant," the silver haired man at the head of the room chided as a smirk grew across his lips. " _Now_ is our chance. Now, when those damn geezers are attending the regular meeting!" The deafening roar of approval that rang through the guild only made his smile widen, touched with malice and insanity. He _would_ have his revenge.

* * *

 _ **I'm back! I was so busy yesterday, so I couldn't really get out a chapter, and I'm finishing this up half asleep, so let me know if something doesn't make sense or whatever. I can't even read it right now, I just feel bad that you guys are used to daily updates and I skipped one.**_

 _ **Naru285 , I love you so much! You made me smile for like eight hours and show my friend and just agh! I love you so much! There will definitely more scenes with Lucy standing up for herself, not just with overprotective Natsu, but in fights where she relies too heavily on her spirits and such. You'll see what I mean during the Fantasia arc.**_

 _ **Saraphina**_ _ **,**_ _ **thanks for your review! I'm so glad that you enjoy this story, because I really wasn't sure if I should post it or not. I have a lot of good ideas and no way to articulate them, so if you guys ever need prompts, hit me up.**_

 _ **Larissa , you are a sweetheart! I was thinking about it, and I think Virgo is a very protective, almost Athena-like, character, you know? She holds to justice (punishment) and so, why shouldn't she show some characteristics for why she's the Virgin? **_

_**Bakers28, I died after reading your comment, to be honest. I actually died. You sent me to heaven.**_

 _ **Littlest1**_ _ **, I can't really remember if I answered your review or not, so here's part two if so and my reply if not. I try to be prompt, for the sole reason of how much people seem to enjoy my story. I know refreshing my phone every three minutes looking for a new update and I don't want that to happen with this. I am going to love writing Virgo for reasons that shall be explained later. You are a babe! Thanks!**_

 _ **On a side note, this has absolutely nothing to do with the story, I'm vegan now, so if anyone out there has any recipes or vegan friendly foods they'd like me to try, please let me know! I'm running out of ideas and I like trying new things. If any of you want to talk to me about veganism, just private message me or something, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.**_

 _ **Thank you all so much, this story is over 2,600 views, twenty eight reviews, thirty eight favorites, and sixty five follows. You're all so amazing, and I would not be doing this without you. Bless everyone with your respective beliefs/disbeliefs/anything you associate with.**_

 _ **Stay safe, darlings!**_


	10. Chapter ten

**Chapter ten**

Train stations always made her anxious, she was a runaway, after all, and who's to say that the security didn't have wanted poster of her hanging up in their little office, some portrait to portray her as some disobedient child and make the men drag her back, kicking and screaming. Of course, the pair in front of her drawing attention didn't help her anxieties in the least. "This entire team is impossible! I can't stand this guy on a good day, and now I'mma be stuck with both him _and_ Erza?" Gray was shouting, eliciting a series of snarls from the dragon slayer, completely intentional ones if Lucy could guess correctly.

"Why does Erza even need our help?" Natsu hissed out.

"How the hell would I know?" Gray shot back, twice as loud and half as bitter. "Besides, if she does need help, I should be enough alone!"

"Then why don't you just go by yourself? I don't wanna go!"

"Fine, then don't come! Get yourself killed after!"

"If you two don't shut up and sit down right now," the blonde seethed dangerously when a stray Rune Knight began walking over, "I will meet Erza at the entrance and tell her that the two of you couldn't be bothered to come because you were _fighting_!" That sobered the pair up quickly, scowling- which the man checking Lucy out from behind did not help, in Natsu's case at least- and the rosette marched over to where Lucy was sitting and plopped down next to her, giving a small whine when she maneuvered her shoulder around his attempts to rest his chin on it. "Gray, _sit_." The tone of her voice left no room for objections, so the dark haired man trudged over defeatedly and took the seat on her other side.

That, of course, made Natsu snarl, until Happy came and nestled himself between the two with a sly look to the dragon slayer. "Wow, you're pretty scary, Lucy," the cat said casually, as if the fact that she was ordering two mages who could probably kill her around was normal. "The only person to ever make them stop fighting that quickly is Erza, and that's only cause she beats them up when they cause trouble. She even almost killed Loke for flirting with her once."

"Why do you always carry around your sleeping bag, pyro?" Gray bit out once more, tired of the material Lucy seemed accustomed to ducking around smacked his ear yet again.

"To sleep on it," Natsu replied, voice bland, and he earned curious looks from the three present. He couldn't possibly tell them that her frustrations had dampened his mood, that having a piece of his hoard shrug him off had sunk him into a numbness he was unaccustomed to, since neither of them would understand- and he couldn't imagine Lucy taking kindly to being referred to as something most humans conceived as mere pretty objects.

"He must not be feeling well," Happy said quickly, understanding lighting up his features. "He gets sick just thinking about trains and boats and stuff. Do that thing you usually do, Lucy." She gave a shallow nod, uncertain that having him leaning against her did that much to help, and the dragon slayer instantly placed his head against her shoulder, cheek rubbing lightly as an apology.

"Stop," she giggled out, trying to move her face away from the hair that continued to tickle her jaw and neck. "Natsu, stop it!" And Gray watched, jaw dropped, as the irked expression melted off of the blonde face and Natsu looked little more than a common puppy begging for attention, something he hadn't seen since they were younger, before the dragon slayer was exposed to death.

"Sorry," Erza said, strolling up with a cart of luggage behind her. "Did I make you all wait... Is that really Natsu?" Her eyes were glued to the rosette, an almost inaudible purr rumbling through his chest as Lucy curled up in the middle of the bench and tried to push him away from her neck. The blonde flushed instantly, sitting up quickly with stiff muscles, and went to greet the redhead, only to have those mocha eyes study her more intently. "You were in Fairy Tail yesterday, but I'm afraid that I don't recognize you."

"I just joined the guild," she said, standing up. She was really the only person to ignore the needy whine that slipped past Natsu's lips as she walked towards the redhead, dipping into a flourished bow that was far too graceful to put off as anything less than meeting a respected person. "My name is Lucy. Mira-san asked me to tag along with you. I hope it isn't a problem. I will _try_ to be useful." Doubt plagued her pleasant features, Erza's own stern gaze softening in a way that made Gray sure he was the only normal Fairy Tail member at this point- yeah, Lucy was pretty and all, but how the hell did she turn Natsu into a hatchling dying for affection and stone hearted Erza into a sweet _girl_?

"I'm sure you'll be plenty useful to this mission," the redhead soothed gently, dipping into her own bow. "My name is Erza. It is nice to meet you." Straightening up once more, she found a glimmer of hope in those dark eyes, hope that she would live up to whatever expectations the redhead had, and she felt the need to further reaffirm her. "I've actually heard about you already. You really defeated a giant gorilla while a perverted mage was trying to molest you? And you can keep several enchanted pockets open at once while using your normal magic? I'm quite impressed."

"Molested?" she squeaked out in confusion, the rumbling snarl from behind her drawing her attention towards the dragon slayer. "No, no one was trying to molest me. All I did was knock some guy out, really." When the irate look didn't disappear from Natsu's face, she felt herself grow defensive, quirking an eyebrow and pushing her weight onto her left leg. "Natsu, did I _look_ molested to you? No, so calm down. Happy was there for the whole fight except like the last thirty seconds! Nothing happened." Her exasperation made him loosen his tensened muscles, Happy giving a reassuring nod, and the other two mages felt slightly out of place.

"I don't know what this task is or how risky it was to have ya askin' for help, Erza, but me and Haps and Luce will go with you under one condition," Natsu said, a startled gasp ripping through Gray's lips and horror etched onto Happy's face.

"What is this condition of yours?" she asked, eyes becoming stony once more. She wasn't quite what he was going to request, she had never really seen him act this way towards someone and it was unnerving to not know the person that had become so close to him in such a short amount of time.

"She either stays with me, or with you. Not on her own, not with Gray," he said strictly, the serious gleam in his eyes- even as both Lucy and Gray gave their varying arguments- made her nod curtly, eyes soft with understanding.

"I'm honored to be included in your list," she said with a gentle smile, the dark haired man once more wondering if he were hallucinating. "I am not very confident in myself, but for you, I will do my best. You've grown up nicely."

"What d'ya mean your not confident?" Natsu asked, even as he began dragging the blonde towards the train, Erza easily keeping pace with the pair and Gray stumbling behind with a cackling Happy on his head.

"Only that you will do a better job when it comes down to protecting her," the redhead assured. "I don't quite have your drive, I suppose. She will be safe in my care, however."

"Betcha damn ass she's gonna be safe in your care," he mumbled out, taking a dramatic breath at the threshold of the train and ducking inside quickly, still pulling Lucy behind him.

"I can take care of myself, Natsu," she scolded quietly as they found an empty set of benches. He didn't answer, merely waiting for her to sit down before plopping into her lap, uncaring of the stares they received.

* * *

Watching the dragon slayer with only a _hint_ of jealousy- he was way better looking that the rosy haired pyro, so why wasn't some pretty girl fawning over _him_?- Gray let out a throaty scoff and rolled his midnight eyes. "You're pathetic," he sneered, bitterness plaguing him as he remembered that anyone who dawned over him would likely end up dead. "You should just go sit somewhere else if you're gonna be this annoying. Even better, you should just run beside the train instead of riding on it."

"I know it happens every time, but it looks painful," Lucy breathed out softly, fingers carding through the rouge locks and massaging his scalp. Tension bled from his temples and shoulders, leaving him to press his face more firmly into her thighs and let out a relieved sigh as opposed to a nauseous grunt.

"You should have seen him before you came around," Erza said, humor lining her words. "He used to beg me to knock him out during every trip. I was actually prepared to do it this time, too, though you seem to help exponentially."

Wanting the attention away from herself, and her surely burning face, she squeaked out, "What are your magic types? I've only ever seen Natsu's and Happy's." This, of course, had the desired effect as Happy perked up quickly with a smile on his face.

"Erza's magic is beautiful," he purred out happily, eyes glossy over in thought. "She shines like your spirits and makes her enemies bleed a lot. In fact, some people say that her hair is red with the blood she's spilled." Despite the frightened shudder that ran along her spine, the blonde was all too aware of the minuscule flinch Erza nearly masked, her eyes frantic and pleading for something, something that Lucy both recognized and didn't know how to help with.

"Gray?" she asked instead, using her foot to press lightly against the redhead's own booted one. She noticed the grounding effect it had, hooded eyes snapping to her calm features before showing off gratitude and embarrassment, neither of which the pair commented on.

Calloused hands came together, fist over an open palm, and icy mist began to seep through his fingers along with an arctic glow. "I use a branch of user ice magic called ice make," he explained, fist coming away to reveal a perfect replica of the Fairy Tail guild mark balanced precariously in his opened palm.

"It's so pretty," she cooed out, eyeing the crystalized water with gleaming eyes. "I never really saw you as an ice type mage, but I suppose it makes sense now. Especially given how you and Natsu don't get along very well." At the blank looks she received from the group, she felt a flicker of anxiety, though she continued. "Fire and ice? It's a tale as old as time."

"That does fit rather well," the redhead agreed easily, Gray's cheeks flushing darkly.

"What does that matter? Why don't you explain why we're here anyways? You don't ask for help often," he mumbled out.

"Yes," she said without missing a beat, demeanor growing serious once more. "Allow me to explain. I was on my way back from my last job and I stopped at one of those pubs that mages often gather at. A group of people there caught my attention. They were rather loud and rude, something that's rather common amongst drunk mages, so I naturally didn't notice very much of what they were saying. They began talking about something called Lullaby, which I didn't think much of at the time, until they mentioned Erigor. I couldn't remember the importance of the name while I was there, but if I had I would have stopped it immediately."

"Lullaby?" Lucy asked softly, a memory tugging at the back of her mind as the conversation continued.

"Lullaby? What is it, a magic to put people to sleep?" Gray scoffed, already bored with the idea.

"I don't know, but it must be powerful if it's sealed," the redhead said, still dazed and lost in thought.

"I don't get it," the ice mage finally said, becoming more relaxed in the seat cushions. "So what? You came across some people who wanted to break a deal on some unknown magic. Big deal. Maybe it was just a job they were on. It's really not important."

"But then," Erza interrupted swiftly, pinning a glare on the ravenette, "I remembered the name Erigor. The ace of the dark guild Eisenwald, Erigor the Grim Reaper. It's a nickname that people gave to him for his tendencies to only accept assassination requests. It's because of him that Eisenwald went dark when the Council outlawed assassination requests, because they wanted money." The train came to a halt, the blonde hefting up the dragon slayer as a sickening chill caressed her own light magic, sending the hairs on the name of her neck bristling and her anxieties skyrocketing.

"Gray," she grunted our in feigned effort, the dark haired male rolling his eyes and slipping the weight from her body instead, earning a small smile of gratitude as they began down towards the platform.

"The original guild Master was punished," Erza was still rambling on, unaware of her dwindling audience, "and the guild was ordered to disband itself six years ago. Most dark guilds ignore this order and continue to function. It was a blunder on my part for forgetting Erigor's name, for should I have remembered, they would all be in jail currently."

"That makes sense," Gray stated, heaving the dragon slayer further up onto his shoulders and noticing the blue cat along for the ride. "If It were just that group, ya coulda done it yourself, but even you need help with a whole guild."

"And with whatever this magic, Lullaby, is," she continued as they continued through the station, "their scheming could become lethal to innocents. I figured that this was a matter I could not overlook. We shall march into Eisenwald."

"Luce," a pitiful groan sounded, earning all eyes on the slowly recovering dragon slayer. That, of course, lead to the lack of their blonde companion who had probably missed half of the explanation.

"Shit."

* * *

Following the tendrils that had reached out and gotten her attention, Lucy found herself in front of a rather young man with dark hair. "Excuse me, sir," she hummed out, her Stellan accent rather convincing if she did say so herself, and her fairy tail mark hidden beneath a pair of lace gloves. "Is this seat taken?" Dark eyes found their way slowly to her face, following her well endowed curves and lingering where they were not wanted, before the man gave a small shrug and a smile.

"Feel free," he encouraged, leading her to sit where Erza had previously been. "Is it your first time in Fiore or somethin'? That's quite an accent you have."

"Is it?" she hummed out, false confusion lining her face. "I suppose you're right. Am I doing well with my words? I'm afraid I don't know quite as much Fiorean as I would hope." She was safe, should he attack, because Stellan was the only other language she could summon her spirits in, their language knowledge limited only to their origins and where their master was staying.

"I couldn't really say if you were foreign or not," he said with a sickening smile. "You speak Fiorean fluently. Tell me, are you really foreign?" She gave a curt nod, warnings glaring at the back of her mind as that vile magic reached out towards her again, as if looking for a way to stain her soul with mold and douse the light her magic required.

"I am from Altair, here on political business," she lied smoothly, feeling those comforting talons dig into her flesh from the shadows of her hair.

"It's such a strange thing to see a legal mage lying," he retaliated quickly, so casually she nearly bypassed the statement completely.

* * *

"One thing," the redhead seethed as she marched back to the station, ignoring shouts for her to keep out of restricted areas and the pleas to slow from the trip behind her, hauling her luggage as she had no time. "Natsu requested _one thing_ and I failed him." She marched over to the nearest employee and began to share fragments of the story, too flustered around the authoritative figure to get everything out and far too disappointed in herself to not go for the quickest solution. "We must stop the train for our nakama. Please understand. Happy!"

"Aye!" The cat chirped, flying overhead and pulling on the lever that applied the emergency brakes despite the employees protest. Bells began to ring, lights flaring, and the group was already making their way out of the building and towards the nearest vehicle they could find, the dragon slayer not even protesting as he hopped into the cab and laid down.

* * *

She wasn't quite sure how it had happened, shadows springing to life from her seat and yanking off her gloves while trapping her and Nyra at the same time, the later returning to the spirit realm to avoid injuries. "Speaking of Fairy Tail," the man before her, Kageyama he introduced himself as, hummed out thoughtfully, "Mirajane's from that guild right? Man, she's so hot! Well, you're really hot too. Almost as hot if not hotter, depending on preference. Do you know why Mirajane isn't active anymore? She used to be an S-class member, and then quit. She's still so young, too. I don't know the name, and I'm guessing it's you, but rumors of that cute new girl have spread to even the shadows so quickly." He let out a disappointed sigh when her face remained impassive, though he couldn't quite blame her. "I've noticed that legal guilds have all the cute girls. I envy you guys, really. Ever thought about joining a dark guild, sweetie?" Once more, she remained silent as she scowled, the expression sending chills through his body but leaving him otherwise unaffected. "Of course you haven't. 'Cause you're cute."

All of a sudden, the train stopped, bags tumbling and people screaming, even the shadows cooled around her disappearing, and Lucy found her eyes drawn to a gnarled branch that a flute was carved into, a three eyed skull decorating the top. "Lullaby," she hissed, lurching forward and snatching it from the floor, instantly shoving it in her bag. "Any harm that comes to me or this bag drops your flute back at my guild, where _Mirajane_ is." She hissed out, watching his eyes become deadly in an instant and, not for the first time since she had jokingly agreed, she found herself regretting coming along.

"You pesky fly!" he snarled, sending her flying with a well placed kick. "Do you know how damn _long_ it took me to unseal that? Erigor will _kill me_ now!" A dark look crossed his face, sending fear coursing through Lucy's veins as she struggled to her feet. "At least I'll have the satisfaction of kill you, first."

"I'd never give you that satisfaction," she snarled dangerously, rushing towards a window and throwing herself against it, curled into a ball. Glass shattered around her, tearing her smooth skin and delicate clothing in small places, and she was suddenly aware of how much speed the train had picked up once more, praying only that the guild could prepare what to do with the flute under such short notice.

"Lucy!" a desperate, familiar voice sounded before several hands clasped around her, pulling her onto something hard- which jerked to a sudden stop. Questions were swimming around her, her adrenaline dying down and leaving her a quaking mess as she stared up at her ragtag team of strange people who seemed to flawlessly fit together.

"I got Lullaby," she croaked out before the tears began to pour, at least a few bruised ribs making just breathing difficult. Low whines sounded in her ear, gentle arms curling around her and tucking her body to a warm chest, and she nearly laughed at how ridiculous this all seemed. "Lullaby is a death magic, once used to help people sleep by playing this enchanted flute, though it was demonized by Zeref and killed anyone who heard it. I _felt_ it, and if anything had happened, it would have gone straight to Magnolia."

"Nothin' woulda happened, Luce," Natsu began to chant, and everyone stayed silent about the blood oozing from shallow cuts and the obvious bruising already beginning to form from her fight against a dark mage because, for the life of them, no one could figure out if he was calming Lucy or himself.

* * *

 _ **I'm back! Oh my god, you guys got so much activity on this story that my account crashed this morning! I literally saw two new reviews, then I couldn't go on Fanfiction at all, and then there were three thousand views and forty one reviews, and I thought I was hallucinating. You guys are definitely the best!**_

 _ **, your reviews actually made me cry. I was hysterical while reading it and sent it to my closest friend immediately, and even she was touched. You're amazing! I feel like the flawed characteristics was really the only reason I started doing this, because I am super depressed and anxious and all that shit, and I know that other people are too, but there isn't a lot of, not exactly positive, but accepting mental health medias, especially not the manga/anime. I just figured, they're all carrying their own burdens, so why don't they have anything to show for it, yaknow? While he gets more** **comfortable** **around Lucy, he'll definitely become more open and boisterous, though he won't ever be quite like the canon Natsu, just an FYI. Same goes for most of the characters. Just like how in this chapter, mentioning Erza's hair color is a trigger for her- because that's why she has the last name Scarlet and Jellal lowkey ruined her life. For Lucy's magic supply, it's kind of a mixture of things. Think of the space pockets that the enchanted bags require as notebooks in a backpack- they're** **noticeable** **, but also manageable. Add Nyra- or any other spirit, really- to that, and it's like a textbook or two. Then, add excessive magic use by the spirit, and it's like someone pulling on the backpack. It becomes easier with time, but it's always there. You are so sweet about my mistakes because, as I've said before, I do most of my writing from a phone with autocorrect, and rereading my stories make me want to delete them, honestly, so I just go with what I can. Phantom Lord and Juvia and Gajeel are honestly keeping me on my toes. I just want to write them already! Ugh! You make me happy with your reviews, so like, extra love to you! I was also considering it with my friend, the original arc idea. I might throw something in there once in a while, but I'll definitely do extra arcs where there are time skips (Tenrou, after the Tartaros fight, etc) so look forward to those!**_

 _ **Naru285, thank you! Loke's arc will definitely be different, and I'm prepared to cry, too, so don't worry about it! About Erza, I don't think that she's going to be as frightening as you imagined. If anything, I'm giving her bit more of self doubts and depression and stuff because, honestly, she's been mentally abused for so long. Her and Mira have a closer relationship. I'm actually going to do a side story one day about their Monday book clubs and how it grew to a guild-girl thing. I'll be sure not to burn out with all of this love coming in!**_

 _ **Littlest1, Lucy's dumb blonde behavior always got on my nerves because she's rich. She has soooo many resources for like the first fifteen/sixteen years of her life and she doesn't know shit, but she knows how to do practical stuff? (I'm gonna throw in a crack chapter about guild members bonding with Lucy over teaching her how to do stuff) It didn't make sense to me, really, so I decided to do it how I thought she would act with her experiences and upbringing. I love Erza's core being and her beliefs. She won't be too different, just enough to show some flaws and how she can overcome/learn to live with them. Oh my god, though, Bickslow is my baby and I will fight anyone who thinks otherwise. It's because of his soul seeing ability that I think he should be with Lisanna (who holds the souls of animals she's seen dying, much like how Mirajane absorbs the remainder of demons souls), and so they go on cute little dates and if he sees a dying animal soul, he'll point her towards it and she'll go absorb it. It's really cute in my opinion. Your support makes me so happy, love, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! And Mirajane works in mysterious ways that literally no one could ever understand. After all, she has demons in her head telling her how to live her life.**_

 _ **That's it for today! Bless everyone who has ever interacted with this story because you make me so happy every day of my life! I love you all so much, and keep giving me your ideas/ships/side story requests, and I'll be sure to do my best on everything you tell me you want while still keeping it relevant!**_

 _ **Thank you!**_


	11. Chapter eleven

**Chapter eleven**

Sandals scuffed leisurely against the ground, more footsteps trailing behind the first at uneven intervals, and people parted at the sight of the silver haired man with intricate tattoos curling along his uncovered torso and the large scythe slug lazily over his shoulders. "Get all the passengers and employees off the train," he demanded easily, as if he were asking for a muffin, and people began to panic as they raced out of the building, recognizing the man nicknamed the Grim Reaper well enough. "Kunugi Station is Eisenwald territory, now." The last person out of the train, the only one not running to safety, was Kageyama, normally pleasant expression bitter and eyes apprehensive. "I heard you were gonna come on this train, so we've been waiting anxiously for your arrival, Kageyama."

"You shouldn't have," he muttered under his breath, cursing the blonde girl who had taken off with that damned flute for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "I had managed to break the spell, but some fly came in and stole the flute, but I got something in return." He shook his hand gently, a collection of celestial keys chiming from within his grip. "She'll be comin' this way quickly, if she ain't dead."

"I see," the man snarled out, anger making the wind whip around ferociously. "You let some fly steal the forbidden magic, Lullaby, and pin our plan on the hope that this legal mage will come after her keys? Are you an idiot? What kind of mage would attack a dark guild without their magic?" Crimson splattered against the wooden boarding pad, Kageyama crumpling to the ground with a cry of pain, and Erigor snatched the magic objects from the ground. "You'd better hope I get the flute, or you'll be the first to feel my personal wrath."

* * *

Finding herself tucked within the crook of Natsu's arm for the entire ride to Kunubi and most of the walk through the crowd, Lucy felt herself growing more paranoid. She hadn't told anyone of the death threat she had received from Kageyama, not wanted to worry Natsu any more than he already was, and yet the shadows seemed to jump teasingly at her, making her tremble under the dragon slayer's heavy arm. She wouldn't back down though, the emptiness of the pouch at her hip reminding her that some dark mage had her keys, her first friends and family since she was ten, and she would die before leaving them in the wrong hands. "Lucy, you should stay back," Happy said anxiously, even _he_ could feel the dark magic eating away at her magic power. He deflated at the look in her eyes, determination like when she had fought Everlue gleaming darkly, and she shook her head.

"I have a personal score to settle with that illegal bastard, and I'll be damned if he gets away unscathed," she snarled out darkly. A deep purr sounded from beside her, shocking her out of her thoughts, though it was quickly gone as Natsu's dark eyes found the taped off perimeter of the train station.

"A bunch of men carrying scythes suddenly poured into the train station!"

"I know them! They're from that dark guild somewhere around here!"

"I left the things I need for my work inside. They're more important than my life!"

"They took over the entire station?" Gray gasped out shocked. "I could understand if it were a horse drawn carriage or a boat, but a train can only run on the rails, so it's not very beneficial to take over. I mean, it's got speed, so maybe they're in a hurry to carry out something they've planned." He clamped his mouth shut, fiddling with the jacket that he had stripped off during his anxious ramblings- a habit he had picked up, to analyze an enemy's moves from the perspective of the enemy, something he was frightfully good at. "The military forces are already on the case, so it's probably just a matter of time until they either get arrested or kill Rune Knights."

"I am willing to bet on the later," Erza said sternly, a fierce glint overtaking her features and creating a stony image.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stay back! It's dangerous here!" a man called into a megaphone, his voice filled with static and and shaking. "A train was derailed by accident, so no on is allowed to go into the station! Until we can confirm the safety inside, the station will be closed to the public!"

"I heard that it was terrorists."

People were speaking far too loudly for Lucy to feel comfortable and bodies were pressing against her from every which way, leaving her close to tears and lost in a haze of anxiety. She stopped for a moment when an elbow flew into her shoulder, knocking her back into a warm body, familiar arms curling around her and holding her to the dragon slayer as he bit back a snarl. "What's going on inside?" Erza demanded from a meter ahead, the employee scowling and asking for her identity, though that only ended in him being shoved aside more roughly than the redhead intended. She moved on to the next employee as the first's head cracked against the ground, rendering him unconscious, parroting her question several times and leaving a trail of passed out men in her wake.

"Erza-san," Lucy finally stuttered out, pressing more firmly into Natsu's side in an attempt to mask her shivering. Erza understood her, though, which was something the both of them gathered rather quickly. Deciding to follow the blonde's lead from earlier, the redhead relayed the information she had finally gathered in homes of distracting the males looking between them strangely.

"A military platoon went in, but they have yet to return. Eisenwald is inside, and they are claimed to be terrorist. There's either a battle or a slaughter, and we need to move," she barked out swiftly, eyes soft as she turned back to the entrance, Moments after they had entered the station, crimson pools began to slicken the ground beneath their feet, Rune Knights scattered about a stairway, either dead or dying, and Lucy found herself regretting the decision to come on this mission yet again. "Their opponents were a guild's worth of dark mages. A military platoon wouldn't stand a chance."

"I knew you'd come," a sickly sweet voice cooed from above the stairway, a soft breeze passing through the building, entirely unnatural. They stormed up the stairs, Happy sinking down to rest on Lucy's head, and the blonde found herself tucked firmly in between the armored woman and the snarling dragon slayer. "We've been waiting for you, Fairy Tail."

"That's the armored girl from the other day," a pudgy man hummed out monotonously. "So it was you who leaked out our plan." The lanky man beside him shuddered at the scathing look Erigor shot him from his position on the balcony, and Kageyama found his narrowed eyes drawn to the blonde tucked away behind the two strongest mages of the quartet.

"You dirty fly!" he snarled out, hardly able to hear himself with the ruptured eardrums and the thick bandages covering his ears. "It's because of _you_ that I'm like this right now!"

"What do you intend to do with Lullaby?" Erza asked darkly, her hand coming around to loop around Lucy's wrist as a comforting action. "Depending on your answer, I might have to make you pay for it."

" _You_ must lovely Stellan Kage was telling me about. Surely, you must want that dark magic out of your possession. Zeref's creations and light mages don't work well together. In fact, I can almost _feel_ your magic draining," Erigor purred our silkily, eyes licking onto the blonde and a smirk moving across his features. He continued on, however, when a snarl reached his ears, eyes turning towards Natsu's curious expression. "We just want to fool around. Really, we've got no job or anything." Wind caressed Lucy's cheek, almost like a warning that made her shift closer to the dragon slayer as her hair fluttered, and the silver haired man floated elegantly to the top of the broadcasting speakers, tapping one of the devices with the handle of his scythe. "You're a dull bunch. Can't you figure out what all train stations have?"

"You plan on broadcasting Lullaby?" Lucy gasped out in shock, earning a chilling smirk.

"One point for the blonde fly," the wind mage chuckled out smoothly. "Just think about it, thousands of people are gathering around this train station. If we were to play Lullaby loud enough, perhaps the entire town would be able to hear it!"

"Indiscriminate mass murder?" Erza seethed darkly, teeth clamping down on her tongue to keep from saying anything she would regret.

"We are simply cleaning up the fools who go around living their lives abusing and forgetting about the rights they take for granted, not knowing there are people who have been revoked of those same rights." He seemed at home in the sky, a way to show the mages below him that he could spare the magic required to keep him up and twirling gracefully through the air. "Living a life in obliviousness to the unfair ways of the world is a sin. As such, the Grim Reaper has come to punish them." The moment he said those words, a feminine shriek sounded and Lucy disappeared from both Erza's and Natsu's grasp, leaving panic to flow through the dragon slayer. "A punishment called death." The blonde reappeared in the midst of the Eisenwald soldiers, held by a pudgy man while another searched her bag thoroughly.

"You will never have your rights returned to you if you keep doing illegal things!" she snarled, uncaring of the hands that were staining her skin with deep bruises.

"You shouldn't speak so rudely to those who could kill you in a breath, little fly," Erigor tutted, twirling her keys on his finger almost tauntingly. Happy glanced over to watch the rosette process just what was in the dark mage's hands, recognizing the icy terror that flooded through the dragon slayer at seeing a piece of his hoard stranded amongst enemies without so much as a distraction to help her escape. "Besides, coming this far, it's not the rights that we seek. We want authority. If we have authority, we can simply erase the past and control the future."

"You're a fool!"

Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion, a low hiss of anger coming from a man as he dropped to his knees, muttering a spell too low for even the dragon slayer's ears, that sent shadows streaming for his defenseless hoard. "What a pity," the dark haired man scoffed out without a hint of remorse. "Such a pretty fly dying first."

 _"Harq!"_ the blonde squealed out, snapping and pressing a tiny flicker of flames to the hem of her captor's sleeve, the round man letting her go in favor of putting out the rapidly growing flame. Lucy rolled, smacking into someone's legs as she came to a stop, the shadows just hardly missing her as the faded into a dark corner of the building.

"We aren't done with you yet, fairy," Erigor hissed, snatching the girl by her hair and yanking her to her feet roughly. Everyone could see her shivering, no matter how much Lucy attempted to hide it, though that only made the sadistic wind mage grin wider. "We still need something from you, something I've been told can only be given to me by you. Be a good girl, and I'll give you your keys back, hm?"

"I would rather have every drop of magic drained from my body," she snarled back, more ferocity than she should have shown given her circumstance. Erza, despite the situation, found herself growing fonder of the blonde, and even the dragon slayer found himself prideful of her bite despite the certain death it was bringing on.

"That can be arranged." Just like that, he was leaving, dragging the blonde with him, and the Fairy Tail mages were fighting to break through the mass of Eisenwald goons, even Gray- who held no particularly strong feelings towards the blonde- all too aware of the pained shrieks that eched along the empty corridors and spurred his closest frenemy to fight more valiantly to reach her.

"Don't worry!" Happy called from the entrance to where the two had disappeared through, "I'll go get her!" _That_ certainly didn't calm the dragon slayer down, now both living pieces of his hoard facing off someone far too strong from them without anyone strong enough to at least hold Erigor off close to being able to aid them. Sometimes, Gray wondered why he even stuck around Fairy Tail when torture and raging dragon slayers were an occupational hazard, though his only rational explanation was that he must have lost his mind after years in the guild.

* * *

She was all too aware of the pains of magic deprivation, something she had suffered from during her first few jobs as an independent mage and something she had watched her mother die from when she was only a child, and yet, she stood firm by what she had said. She had no particular value over her own life- sure, she was sure a handful of people would mourn over her lost life, but she couldn't find herself to care most days- and she would surely become a martyr if it meant she was allowed to save countless lives. She had not, however, been prepared for the immediate crack of her arm as the man snapped her bone in half, an agonized scream ripping through her lips as she cradled her left hand limply to her chest. "Give me Lullaby," the man snarled, so close to her face that she could smell the bloodlust pooling in his eyes.

"Never," she croaked out, ignoring the sting in her eyes as she fought against the tears that threatened to flow. She would not give him the satisfaction, she would rather endure him breaking every bone in her body than have the blood of innocent civilians on her hands. "Go on. Keep breaking my bones. I _won't give in to you._ " He sent her a challenging smirk, humming low in her throat, and she spun around to see what made him so confident.

"Lucy! Are you okay?"

 _Happy_. She wanted to yell for him to leave, heart racing and her palms becoming clammy as he flew towards her, and yet she only managed a tiny squeak before a crushing pain fell down onto her foot, bruising it at the very least. The wind mage snatched up the cat's tail, yanking him back into his arms and allowing a twisted smirk to curl over his features. "C'mon now, _Lucy_ ," Erigor purred out, running the top of his scythe over Happy's ear, the cat whining when it nicked his flesh, "just give me Lullaby and I won't have to hurt your little kitty." He was terrified, she could see that clear as day, and tears were already beading in his eyes, but she found a hint of defiance, so miniscule it was nearly nonexistent.

"Don't give it to him, Lucy," the feline stuttered out, sniffling as the blade sliced off pieces of his fur. "I can handle this." As much as Lucy doubted that statement alone, thoughts of the guild that had shown so much affection for the cat, even through his sarcasm and evil pranks, made her hesitate.

"We don't have all day, fairy," the silver haired man hissed dangerously, a dangerous hiss escaping the cat when a deeper cut appeared on his ear. "Hand over Lullaby or I'll kill this cat." She wanted to fight, she really did, but the dark energy trying to tear her dimensional pocket open was draining her magic far more quickly than it should have been. Slowly digging around in her bag, praying for some divine intervention, she found herself with a gnarled flute in her hand, her hand trembling.

"Alright," she croaked out, lifting the murderous weapon out of her bag, which was sitting at her feet. "Put Happy down, and I'll give you Lullaby."

"Lucy!"

"Happy, I _can't_ let him kill you!" Her voice pierced the air, leaving a deep silence penetrated only by the sounds of battle from the other room. "I couldn't… I won't."

"For being so obedient," the man teased darkly, slipping the key ring onto Happy's tail, "I think you deserve a little treat." He snatched the wood out of her hand, shoving the cat into her broken arm and smirking darkly at her scream of pain as she crumpled to the ground, before rushing away from her in a gust of wind, just as the rosy haired Fairy Tail mage entered the room.

"Luce! Haps!" He cried out, watching the feline whimper helplessly and hug the celestial keys to his body, before sliding to his knees, arms curling around the sobbing blonde and whining softly in her ear. "Lucy, what's wrong?" His panicked dark eyes flickered to the blue cat, a snarl building in his throat when he noticed the blood staining cerulean fur.

"I think Erigor broke her arm," Happy said slowly, watching cautiously as the dragon slayer let out a dangerous snarl and pulled the blonde closer. Erza and Gray stumbles into the room, sobs building louder and her breath hitching as her arm was jostled, and the cat shrunk back slightly. "Erigor made Lucy give him Lullaby. I didn't know that I would…"

Despite the whimper that tore through her lips as she released her broken arm to comfort the cat, Lucy pulled Happy into her lap and curled more tightly around him. "You didn't know," she cooed out shakily. "You couldn't have known." She turned misty eyes towards the three other mages, wincing deeply when she saw varying looks of confusion and outrage on their features, her tears falling more firmly under the impression that they were mad at her. "He was going to kill Happy. I _couldn't_." A deep snarl tore through Natsu's chest, plucking the blonde off of the ground and passing her entry to the gaping Erza.

"Watch her," he growled out deeply, storming away without waiting for a nod. The redhead slowly lowered herself and the two in her arms to the ground, hugging Lucy when she began crying harder, sobbing out broken apologies, and Gray raced after Natsu, if only to get away from the crying woman- he was hopeless around tears and figured he would be better in a fight.

"Lucy," Erza breathes out slowly, sitting back on her heels and summoning a medical kit from her own pocket dimension. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You were no match for Erigor, especially considering he had your magic. You were brave, trying to hold out against him, and I'm not sure what even I would have done in your predicament. Just believe that we can still stop Eisenwald from killing all of these innocent people."

"It was a lie," Lucy argued weakly, shrieking in pain when the redhead reset her bone, splinting it with whispered apologies. "It has to be. He would kill his guild members if he played it here, and they would be sticking around for certain death. They aren't here for the speakers. I just don't know what's so special about _this_ station." It only took Erza a moment, a second of finishing up her wrapping of the broken limb, until something clicked in her head.

"It's the only train station leading to Clover," she told the blonde, hiking her uninsured arm up over her shoulders and sending her medical kit back to her storage. "That's where the guild masters meet." Erza pulled Lucy up, Happy settling on her head and purring softly to comfort the blonde, and the two went stumbling along after their comrades together, tripping over each other's feet and stopping whenever the blonde would show her discomfort

* * *

 _ **Hello again! I'm sorry for the wait and the short chapter, I just have writers block and I've been busy. You're all incredible, honestly! I smile and I force myself to write knowing that I have so many people out there who enjoy my story. This is the product of that!**_

 _ **Velvet Thorn**_ _ **, I completely agree! Stories where Natsu hoards things and gets territorial give me life. I honestly don't know how to deal with the changes to the arc I've already made, because I do want that teamwork at the end where all of the guild masters watch the Fairy Tail mages deal with a demon, so this is kinda what happened. Hope it's okay.**_

Naru285 **,** _ **you give me life! Ugh! Your comment had me grinning and I love you, please keep reviewing. You get me through life. Thank you so much for all of your compliments, I really appreciate them. I know this doesn't really live up to her whole independence thing, but, like I said before, I do want the bonding experience of the three (maybe even Lucy if I can find some way to include her) fighting Lullaby. Besides, I think this chapter will help her realize that she can depend on other people, yada yada yada, because she's been on her own for over a year, yaknow? Erza is such a complex character because, she was abandoned by her mother, grew up with children in a tiny town, was exposed to bloodshed and slavery at an early age, knew to hide a younger child away from the slavers to save her, was betrayed by friends and her first love, and they came to a place where fighting was the norm and tried so hard to fit in. I'll definitely go further into her character in another chapter, so look forward to it.**_

 _ **Littlest**_ _ **, flaws were honestly the main change in the story that I wanted to make, so thank you for that. I never meant that Lucy was dumb in the cannon, I just meant that I saw more potential for her character based on her advantages. I actually really like your headcannon about her doing ballet, I never really thought about why she used a whip. Erza and Lucy are one of my favorite bonds because they're so different, but they help each other so much- you can bet your ass that Erza would go to Mira or Lucy before anyone else if she was feeling depressed (they're the only characters that don't really cower away from her more than respectfully in my opinion). Thank you so much for your constant support!**_

 _ **Silver Light of**_ _ **Dawn , yes! Hoarder Natsu makes my life complete! You don't even understand, I look for this stuff when I'm trying to find something to read! And of course Nyra recognized it, because now he's scared she'll tell Lucy and bring the whole invasion of her apartment into play! Ah, thank you about how well you think I write Erza! She's such a respectable person, so I really don't want to mess up the complexity of her character. It means a lot!**_

 _ **Jake the**_ _ **Dragon**_ _ **, thanks man!**_

 _ **Breathless02**_ _ **, thank you so much! Possessive Natsu gives me life! I'll keep writing, and I apologize for any long breaks from my day-to-day update pattern I've set up. It'll probably keep growing, if I'm being honest.**_

 __ _ **, I don't really see Erza as minding that she's thought of as violent, considering how she grew up surrounded by violence and it made her who she was. I'm not saying that she doesn't have her moment of doubts (wait a couple chapters) but I feel that she doesn't particularly mind so long as she keeps fighting for good. And I just figured that since Jellal gave her the last name of Scarlet, after her hair, it brings her a painful nostalgia to hear people refer to her by his name, but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. I'll go more into their relationship when he comes around. I'm actually really excited for how possessive Natsu is going to be by the time Galuna hits and Gray needs comfort. Thank you so much!**_

 _ **Lady Mafia Dragneel**_ _ **, thank you so much! I don't know why, but I just feel like my chapters have been getting worse, you know? Your support means a lot! Honestly, when Gajeel joins the guild, it'll be great because Nyra will act decently towards Natsu, but she'll give Gajeel the cold shoulder for a while, and it'll be great. Her and Wendy are going to be so sweet to each other, though. I'll definitely watch her some time, and thank you so much for all of your support! I would break for chicken nuggets, too (it's what got me when I was vegetarian for a while). If you do commit again, let me know!**_

 _ **19vanelkc**_ _ **, I'm looking for the rest, too lol! Okay, so I don't know when they'll get together, but it'll definitely take until after the Edolas arc (Natsu still needs to learn the difference between hoarding possession and love possession, and I want Lisanna to help him out with that). You think my fic is good quality? You're a blessed soul! I won't stop writing, and I love you, too!**_

 _ **Nalu Nalu**_ _ **Nalu , Thank you so so so much! **_

_**Pixiecatost , Thank you so much! You are fab! You're welcome!**_

 _ **Y'all are adorable, really! Thank you for all of the good feedback and kind compliments! Ah, I love you guys! So, here's the chapter, and I'll try and figure out how I'm gonna get this story going again. You're amazing, and keep giving me hints as to what you want to see.**_

 _ **Thank you!**_


	12. Chapter twelve

**Chapter twelve**

Wisps of smoke curled dangerously through the air, rushing out with every snarled exhale of Natsu's breath, and Gray found himself cautious to even approach the rosy haired man. He had never seen the dragon slayer so angry- not when Happy came to the guild crying when he got a fish hook stuck in his paw, not when Porlyusica had kept him tied to a bed for three weeks after nearly shattering his ribcage, not even when Lisanna had _died_ \- and he was nervous to have that anger turned on him. He could sympathize with the rosette, even _he_ could still hear that agonized scream and the heartbroken sobs echoing around in his head, but he didn't see what had riled the dragon slayer up so much- he would have brushed it off as Happy's endangerment if it weren't for the erratic fighting that had begun the moment that horrifying scream had sounded.

Not only were those sounds playing in Natsu's head, but he could remember _hearing_ her bones grating when she had dropped her arm to comfort Happy, he could still _smell_ Happy's blood, and that damned wind mage had diluted his already soft scent into something he couldn't track. "Where the fuck is that bastard?" he snarled out, unaware of how much Gray jumped at the words. "I swear ta Mavis, he's gonna wish he was dead when I'm done with him."

"Natsu, maybe ya outta calm down," the ravenette tried weakly, earning a scathing look from the other man. "Okay, yeah, he hurt Lucy and Happy, but people get hurt on jobs all the time, some worse than a broken arm and cut ear!"

"Ya don't understand!" Natsu hissed out dangerously, eyes blazing and steam wisping off of him. "Ya couldn't _possibly_ understand. He put unwanted hands on _my_ hoard. He _hurt my_ hoard! It's unforgivable!" He turned away from the other man, stalking down to where the corridor split off in two directions. "If ya find Erigor, give a shout. I'mma be the one ta deal with him." He stalked off to the right, irate and anxious, leaving Gray with no options but to take the left and pray he didn't have to witness a murder.

It took everything in the dragon slayer not to run back the way he had come, knowing that Erza could protect the two but still afraid that when he found them again, they would be in even worse shape than before. He was fighting, even with his fury, to keep tracking the Grim Reaper, unwilling to let anyone else dole out the judgement for harming his hoard while still craving the comfort of curling up with the injured pair and hiding them away until they were healed. Sometimes, he _really_ hated his dragon instincts.

* * *

"If I were some murderous dark mage," Gray hummed out, racing down the long hallway and glancing up each set of stairs in search of a person, "where would I be? Well, if he's gonna broadcast the mass death curse… _Broadcast!_ Of course!" His dark eyes began searching frantically for the sign that would isolate the broadcasting studio from every other broom closet and bathroom within the station. "If he's gonna broadcast Lullaby, Erigor must be in the room with a public broadcasting system!" He wasn't quite sure why he was speaking aloud- perhaps he wanted Natsu to hear and go off in search of the same room- but it didn't take long to find the room labeled _Studio_ and kick the door down. The room was empty, though, splintered wood decorating the floor but otherwise unoccupied. "Why is he not here? This is the only room to make a broadcast, so it's strange that he's not here." Dark eyes widened in realization as a dark mage slowly lowered himself down from a missing ceiling tile, smirking darkly towards the Fairy Tail member. "Does that mean he never planned to broadcast it?" Dark bandages shot out at him, the ice mage just barely dodging in time, and the Desiertan mummy looking man dropped to the floor with a wild cackle.

"You're instincts are too good," he howled out in laughter, which abruptly cut off as the man narrowed his eyes into a scowl. "You'll definitely be a nuisance to our plan."

"A plan?" Gray asked, his own twisted smile coming to his face as he shed off his coat. "To think you were just complaining about not having any real work to do. Why not tell me what's going on?"

"How about no?" the man chuckled out, landing haphazardly on a single foot with a group of bandages still attached to something out of sight. "I'll kill anyone who gets in the way of our plan." He was swinging absentmindedly, hand still gripping the ropes disappearing into the ceiling, on the ball of his foot, eyes never leaving the ice mage.

"Plan or not, if you want to broadcast Lullaby, this is the only place to do it," he said sternly. "Where is Erigor anyways? He isn't here, so why did you occupy the station?" Those mummy like wrappings shot out on command, some Desiertan word that the ice mage couldn't even fathom, and Gray found himself rolling away from the broadcasting system as it broke apart into shards of metal with a screech of static. It was then, watching the microphone break apart and fall to the ground, that Gray realized they had never intended to broadcast the mass murder curse to the train station, though he couldn't figure anything else out. "What's your real plan?" With a muttered spell, a large sheen of ice came up in between the pair to deflect the wrappings that shot out towards him, and the other man let out a surprised grunt.

"Ice?" he shrieked. Shaking his head and returning the confident smirk to his lips as he glared heatedly towards the dark haired Fairy Tail mage. "Doesn't matter, anyways. It's about time that Erigor-sama finished forming his Wind Wall." Seeing the confusion on the man's face, the Eisenwald mage let out deep cackles and listened to the parroted question. "It's a wind barrier to keep you guys from leaving this place."

* * *

"What's going on inside?"

"A military squad went in, but they never came back out."

"Do you think they were defeated by the terrorists?"

"Is it just me, is has the wind been getting stronger?"

Erza was nearly carrying Lucy at the point, after she had stumbled and banged her already broken arm against the wall, and she couldn't quite work through her battling emotions because, despite every negative emotion that the day had brought up from the pair, the blonde offered a small smile of gratitude as Erza leaned her up against a pillar. "Look, someone's coming out!" She nearly shied away from the crowd looking to her, even after the careful planning the girls had done that lead them to the conclusions of hiding their revelations and getting any possible hostages away from the station.

"You're the ones who barged in earlier!" one of the stations employees shouted, a bullhorn hanging limply in his hand as he glared. She glanced over her shoulder, taking comfort in the fact that Lucy was watching her with knowing confidence, the kind she so often used to give her guild courage when they needed it most, and the man followed her gaze before blanching. "What's happening inside?"

Neither of them answered him, Erza snatching the bullhorn from his grip as Lucy covered Happy's ears delicately, careful not to rouse the tired feline. "If you value your life, leave here immediately!" she called out, fruity voice unfamiliar with the staticky quality of the amplifier. "Dark mages have taken over the train station, and one of them is preparing to cast a spell that will kill everyone around here! Evacuate as quickly as possible!" No one wasted a moment, scrambling away in panicked cries and frightened screams, and the man who had previously been so sympathetic towards them marched over and snagged his amplifier back.

"What do you think you're doing, making people panic like that?" he hissed out dangerously, though there was a quiver to his voice.

"It's better to see them panic than die," Lucy argued weakly, fighting to stand up from her awkward position without the use of her hands. Erza cursed softly, bypassing the stunned man to help the blonde to her feet, Lucy sending another grateful smile towards the redhead before her features became stern once more. "What Erza said was the truth. Of course, we are doing our best to prevent it, but we can't guarantee anyone's safety, so you'd best leave, too." He wasted only a moment before a few other employees rushed off, causing him to trail behind them. The pair hobbled over to the balcony rail, watching the town evacuate as Lucy held Happy close, and basked in the rare moment of peace together, the redhead looking down curiously when a head laid softly against her shoulder.

Streaks of scarlet and gold flared across their vision, the wind picking up speed until it was swirling dizzyingly around the building, separating them from the pair still searching the halls. "This is… How can it be?" Erza gasped out, spinning quickly and placing herself firmly before the blonde. "Lucy, please stay back and entrust me with your safety. I shall not fail you again."

"Well, would ya look at that?" Erigor chuckled out, resting lightly across the banishter from Lucy, the redhead whipping the pair around until she was facing the dark mage. "What are a couple flies doing outside? Ah, the one who made the bystanders run away and that pretty little blonde one." He let out a series of chuckles, undeterred by the sword that appeared in Erza's hand in a flash of light and jutted out towards his throat. "Hey Titania, did I hit a nerve of yours when I took that little girl away from you? Or was it the Wind Wall?"

"Erigor, why are you doing this?" she snarled out, warily watching Lucy grip her keys tightly through the corner of her eye- Happy having given them back when they had run into their first straggler dark mage.

"I've always wanted to fight you, Titania, but I, unfortunately, don't have time for that right now." He let a dark smirk cross his features, arm shooting up and aiming towards the trio, the Fairy Tail mages freezing up at the murderous glint in his eyes. "Just stay inside and be a good girl!" Not a moment later, Erza went flying through the wind, disappearing into the barriers surrounding the train station and knocking Lucy off of her feet. "And you, _Lucy_." She felt a chill run up her spine, hugging Happy close to her chest despite the sharp pains it shot up her arm, and his hand shifted to point directly at her. "You've been ruining my plans since before I even knew about you. I should kill you, but I frankly don't have time for that either." A gust of wind shoved her back, sending her tumbling back through the wild winds, rolling and landing on her arm with a sickening scream and a small yowl from Happy, who managed to squirm out of her loose grip when she landed on her back.

"Lucy!" Erza was at her side in a moment, cradling the blonde against her and shooting a scathing glare to the warped figure of the wind mage. "Erigor, you bastard!" She summoned a sword, throwing it towards the nearly invisible silhouette, though it merely got swept away in the breeze and clattered to the floor a few meters away.

"Don't bother," he scoffed. "This magic Wind Wall only goes one way, from outside to inside. If you try to get out, the wind will slice up your body." He smirked down at their blurred figures, nearly forgetting about the dark magic weighing down on him in favor of going to toy with the pair of them- maybe even that cat hissing every time he drifted closer. "It's almost as if you're in a birdcage- or rather a fly cage, though it's a bit too big for that." He shook his head, dropping his features into a scowl and pushing himself away from the wind as Erza rushed to the wall and began to try shoving through, droplets of crimson soaring around and splattering on the ground as her skin began to rip. "I've wasted too much time on you flies, so if you'll excuse me, I must leave."

"Erza-san, please," the blonde begged, throwing her arm around the redhead and giving a sharp tug. They both fell back, a pool of blood slowly building under Erza's right arm as Lucy hugged her own left arm to her chest. "There's nothing we can do right now, but go find Natsu and Gray-san and hope that the master will realize what's happening."

"Kageyama," the redhead said suddenly, yanking the blonde to her feet and scooping Happy up into her left arm. "We need to find Kageyama."

* * *

The wall crumbled around his opponent, a gaping hole left in his wake, and Gray slowly climbed through it, keeping a close eye on the man currently tumbling on the ground with pebbles following him. "I hate complicated stories, so just tell me what's going on!" the ice mage snarled out.

"We trapped the flies here because you guys came out of nowhere. Originally, we occupied this station to block off all transportation access to Clover station, the last stop," the mummy oriented man chuckled out, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His speech was slurred from biting his tongue and his teeth were tainted red, but he still found himself jovial over the look of shocked horror on the Fairy Tail mage's face. "That town in on the other side of a huge ravine, and there's no other transportation apart from this train, unless, of course, you can fline like Erigor-sama."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gray shot back, shaking his head slightly in confusion. "Why is Lullaby heading there?"

"Think carefully on what's going on in Clover currently," the other man cooed out mockingly, shooting off those bandages again. "Surely a legal mage like you can remember." The rapidly moving fabric tore at Gray's clothes, nicking his shoulder, but he couldn't even feel the sting as dread settled in.

"No way." He shook his head, fighting against misty eyes as gleeful cackles reached his ears. "Clover, that's the two where those geezers are having their regular meeting! Your real target is the guild masters?" He finally took note of the wounds appearing on his body, freezing the material and shattering the snake like pieces of fabric as he took in the crimson staining the should of his jacket and the blodo beading on a small cut on his left bicep. "You're doing a pretty outrageous thing against guild masters with powerful magic."

"Playing the flute for some old farts who are unaware of what's gonna happen should be easy, and Erigor-sama can do it just fine on his own," the mummy argued quickly, flicking his hand and making those ever stretching bandages to squirm like they were alive. "Besides, the people you came with, the ones who got in our way, can't even leave the station! That means no one can stop us now!" He was so blinded by his plans for the future that he didn't notice Gray beginning to stalk towards him, fury lining his features. "We're taking revenge for the oppression we faced in the past! Everything you know will disappear into thin air and there's nothing you can do to stop it!" A hand clamped down on his face, painfully stretching his cheek and squashing his nose in towards his features.

"We'll stop it," Gray snarled out dangerously, ice creeping along his skin and transfering to the mummy man. "We'll stop it and make you regret that you ever targeted the only parents we know." Despite his muffled hearing and the fear freezing his blood as quickly as the ice mage was doing his face, the Eisenwald mage was sure he heard an accent slipping out of the dark haired man's speech. "I'll teach you personally that there are guilds more frightening than a stupid dark guild." He believed it, too, falling back with ice crystals jutting around his head, because he wasn't entirely sure that the man he fought was a man- in the moment, he looked like a demon straight out of Tartaros.

* * *

"Makarov-chan!" a shrill man's voice cooed out, gruff and grating at the same time. "I like the mages at your place. They're so lively! I heard that they even beat up some influential man from somewhere! And got away with it, too!"

"Oh, yeah," Makarov hummed drunkenly, sporting a blush as he spoke with the heavily made up bald man. "That's our newest member, Lucy. She's a good mage. And her boobs are so nice!"

"You're a disgusting pervert, Makarov," another man, this one with shaggy tawny hair and dog collars decorating his neck and the brim of his hat. "Anyways, it's good to be lively, but aren't you guys overdoing things? I heard that some council members are worried that you guys might destroy an entire town one day."

"I want to be destroyed by Lucy's boobs!"

The man with makeup and rather feminine undergarments on smacked Makarov into the table, never losing his easy grin while chiding, "Don't hit on your own mages, Maky." A tiny bird floated in through the window, a letter hanging out of its talons.

"Makarov-sama, you have a letter from Mirajane-sama!" Several people turned their attention to the miniscule old man as he popped the letter open, revealing a holographic image of the covergirl for the Fairy Tail guild. He showed off the image of the beaming ivorette for a moment before playing her message.

"Master, thank you for attending the regular meeting," she chirped out brightly. "We've got some wonderful news while you were gone. Erza formed a team with Natsu, Gray, and Happy, and I made Lucy go with them, toom. Don't you think it's wonderful? I think this might very well be the strongest team in Fairy Tail." At the slightly devious quirk of the female's lips, he realized that this was payback for something Mirajane felt he had done wrong, and he was quickly reminded that she was the She Devil for a reason. "I thought I'd better inform you of this, so I wrote you a letter. See you soon, then!" The moment she had disappeared, the old man had fallen back and smacked into the floor, sending the rest of the room into a panic, and yet Makarov could only think of how much damage the three could do, sending prayers to Lucy in hopes she could control two S-class mages and the moody ice mage enough to keep a positive profit within their guild.

* * *

 _ **I kind of feel like this chapter doesn't make sense, but I hope you guys can decipher through it. I also didn't know where to put in the whole guild master scene, so maybe it kind of fits at the end? Anyways, your positive feedback and lovely encouragements got you all another chapter! I thought Natsu's fight would be in this one, but I guess it'll be next chapter instead (following the manga) and I'll make sure to work hard on it to repay all of your patience and try to live up to your expectations!**_

 _ **19vanelkc**_ _ **, me too! Okay, so dragon qualities bring me joy and it's just so easy to write them! Like, tell me Wendy isn't going to hoard any flower she likes because she doesn't quite understand the concept, but knows that Grandeeney hid away things that she liked and wants to be close to her mother. And act like Gajeel won't have thick ass curtains in his room that he closes to make it seem more like a cave so he can brood away like he used to when he was a kid. Yeah right. Right now, for the estimate on Lucy seeing Natsu's hoard, probably after Edolas. I think it would be a cute little thing for him trying to differentiate his feelings for Lucy from just his friendliness, so when he finds out that he likes her, he insists that she comes to see his hoard and then whenever she gets hurt after that, he locks her away in his room (hoard) until she threatens to summon Loke unless he lets her out. It'll be cute. For the dragons becoming a permanent feature, maybe. I haven't thought much on the dragons, but I do like the idea of the bonding that could happen and the teasing and stuff. So, maybe.**_

 __ _ **, writing from my phone is so hard! It changed wind to wing for like 90 percent of the chapter and I had to go through it just now. Thank you so much for all of your support. You're amazing!**_

 _ **Naru285**_ _ **, I work through my writers block by switching stories, so if there's anything else you'd be interested to see, you should let me know! I mean, I'll probably keep this as my main story, but I'd be more than happy to have someone else give me suggestions for a side project. I actually was really self conscious about the Erigor/Lucy/Happy scene, because I was thinking about how she's been alone for so long and it's easy for people to think little of themselves. The main thing with this story is, I want to show people working through problems that weigh down on them, so I hope I capture that. I can't wait for the Natsu v Erigor scene!**_

 _ **Lady Mafia Dragneel**_ _ **, thank you so much! And hey, if I can help with your story, I'll be right there with you. I'm going to read it, too. I hope you do commit again, and I've never really taken vitamins, but I'll start since you seem like you know what you're doing. Thanks!**_

 _ **Littlest1 , I just figured that it would be like trying to light up a shadow or something like that, and you can really see that dark/light tend to stick towards one another if you think about it. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Gray all have typically 'light' magic (when they do spells, there's usually light involved) and the Thunder God tribe has typically 'dark' magic (Freed and Bickslow mainly). It's like how you'll never see Natsu and Gray preform a unison raid, ice and fire don't mix well. I definitely agree that Lucy is powerful and can be scary, which is why I think she gets along so well with Mira, Erza, and Levy (you'll learn more about Levy later). Gray and Lucy bonding will really happen during Galuna, so keep an eye out. Self worth really comes around after Phantom, I have a whole big plan for that, too. She kind of had her keys (Happy had them because I honestly forgot to have her grab them again last chapter) so yeah, there's that. I love the idea that Lucy and Erza run the team (honestly, Natsu and Gray wouldn't think before acting, so I totally agree) and Team Heart would be a great name! I'll definitely include Erza and Lucy's control over the team and add a little side chapter about why it was called Team Natsu. You're great!**_

 _ **bwlchck , wait for Phantom.**_

 _ **Guest , thank you so much! **_

**_Bakers28 , I hope the battle with Natsu is intense. _**

_arcadea333 **, thank you so much! I enjoy the idea of compatible and incompatible magics, and Lucy and Gray will definitely get close soon. I love their relationship. Thank you so much!**_

 _ **Guest , you're such a sweetheart! Thank you so much! Like I said before, let me know any suggestions for side stories, because they help with writers block. **_

_FairyAddict **, hoarder Natsu makes my life, too. I'm glad you think I write him well. And oh my goodness, you really like this story that much? Thank you so much! Erza and Lucy are one of my favorite friendships, because they both grew up as only children and without a real loving figure for a big part of their lives, so they cling to each other because they recognize it.**_

 _ **Thank you all so much! Remember, if you like any ideas for other stories you want me to write, let me know. I don't even have to ship it, you could say something like Nali soulmate, or you can be detailed, I don't care. It'll help me get out chapters more quickly.**_

 ** _Thank you all! You're all darling!_**


	13. Chapter thirteen

**Chapter thirteen**

Standing tall, her right hand gripping the hilt of a sword as beads of her blood rolled down the polished iron, she kept both Lucy and Happy- who had taken residence on messy golden hair- in the corner of her eye as she glared down at the man. "Where's Kageyama?" she tried again, watching with satisfaction as he flinched away from a drop of blood. "I need him to nullify that Wind Wall out there."

"That's impossible," the man croaked out, smearing both his own and the redhead's blood across his face with the back of his hand. "Nullifying the magic of Wind Wall, there's no way he could do that." She was losing her temper, finding only the comforting hand that came down on her shoulder giving her the strength to not bash the hilt of her weapon over the enemy's head and render him unconscious, as she had done to so many other Eisenwald guild members over the last five minutes.

"Erza?" a familiar voice, suave and rough at the same time, inquired from above the small group. Hooded mocha eyes snapped up to the dark haired Fairy Tail mage, posture slackening slightly and watching as Lucy hesitantly dropped her keys back to their place at her hip.

"Gray?" she asked, fist crashing across the dark mage's face and sending him back to the ground again. "Aren't you supposed to be with Natsu?"

"I lost him," the ice mage admitted sheepishly before waving his hands dismissively in front of his face. "I mean, there's no time for that! The true target of Eisenwald is the town ahead, the town where the masters are currently holding their regular meeting! Erigor intends to use Lullaby over in Clover!"

"We got the general idea from Erigor himself," Lucy admitted slowly, watching as Erza's sword disappeared in a flash of light. "The station is surrounded by a Wind Wall, and we'll be minced if we try to force ourselves out."

"Erigor's getting closer to the masters while we waste out time here!" Erza protested quickly, though she bit her tongue at the warning look the blonde gave her, reminding her of the stern scolding she had gotten from Lucy outside.

"Don't any of them know how to nullify the magic?" Gray asked, kicking at a limp body softly.

"We're looking for Kageyama or another nullifying mage, actually," Lucy said. "Kageyama is the one who broke the seal of Lullaby, so he might be able to handle this magic as well."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gray asked, charging ahead. The two females exchanged exasperated looks before hobbling after him, Happy tittering atop Lucy's head and making small jokes about how they looked like old women, only to be swatted off of the blonde's head.

"Karakka, are you just gonna hide there forever? I know you're there," one of the barely conscious dark mages hissed out, the plump man who had stolen Lucy out from under the Fairy Tail mage's noses slowly peeling himself off of a pillar. "You heard everything, didn't you? Kage's being targeted. Go to him."

"You can't send me," the other man whimpered out, beads of cold sweat breaking out along his spiky hairline. "I won't be able to help him out."

"Your job is much simpler than that."

* * *

"Erigor!" Natsu was sure he sounded more beast than human at this point, constant snarls ripping through his throat the longer that he spent looking for the dark mage and, by extension, the longer he spent away from his _injured_ hoard. He smashed through a wall, having given up on using his nose when he couldn't smell a damn thing but blood, and was vaguely aware that his foot was on fire, though it didn't bother him too much. "Where ya hidin', you bastard?" After a quick scan of the room, he stepped back into the hallway, moving across to smash through the bricks on the other side with a deeper, more guttural, snarl. Kageyama, hidden in the shadows lingering behind the dragon slayer, found himself wondering if the rosette knew how to use doors as the stone beside a slab of wood crumbled away. He was still hidden in the shadows because, despite being the dark mage, he found himself afraid of what the fire mage would do to him after seeing the sorry state of the building, which honestly hadn't done anything to the man.

Erigor wasn't in the station anymore, he had felt the familiar magic of Wind Wall when it had been cast, so Kageyama really didn't _have_ to take on the dragon slayer, but he had remembered watching him cuddle up to that blonde girl, the one who had earned him a painful punishment, and found himself slithering up to the ceiling. He dropped out of the shadows, preparing a nasty kick, only to have his foot caught by a nightmare incarnate. "What the hell?" he screamed, trying to shake away the flaming appendage.

" _You're_ the reason Luce didn't have her damn spirits with her," he growled out, the deep rumblings something no man could impersonate, and the dark haired male wondered if he was facing off the first dragon to be seen in centuries. "She coulda been _safe_ if it weren't for _you_." The shadow mage was thrown into a pile of crates, wood splintering under his body, though that didn't seem to satisfy the dragon slayer in the least.

"So what?" Kage shouted, pulling himself up and shaking away an advertisement for Waku Waku Land. " _She's_ the one who decided to play hero! She _stole_ Lullaby! She should have gotten worse, if you ask me!" The near feral snarl that filled the air made the shadow mage think over his words, unwilling to back down, but wanting to sink into the nearest shadows and go find that blonde to take hostage.

"She shoulda gotten _worse_?" he hissed out dangerously, stalking forwards like a predator. It fit, Kageyama thought with a twisted sense of humor, because he most certainly felt like the prey, heart thrumming wildly and body frozen. "This is her _second fuckin' job_ , ya prick." If he was going to die, he was going to go out swinging.

"Whose fault is that?" he croaked out nervously, hands trembling. The right hook to his face was sorching, searing his cheek and forming blisters instantaneously, and he tried to convince himself that it was worth it as the rosette rushed at him again, murder clear as day in his dark eyes. "Why are you even still looking for Erigor? You _have_ to know he isn't in the building anymore."

"He ain't the only one who deserves to get beat," Natsu growled out, flying forward again and curling his hand around the dark mage's throat. "Tell me where I can find Erigor." The dark haired man let out a choked laugh, vaguely aware of a drop of blood sliding down the side of his face from where his forehead smacked against a crate, though that only seemed to further anger the rosette. "The fuck is so funny? I'mma beat you then go _kill him_."

"You won't be able to get out," the shadow user gritted out. "There's a magic Wind Wall around the station already. Erigor's well on his way to Clover." He was tossed away by the dragon slayer, who let out dangerous snarls, and Kageyama quickly righted himself the moment he landed, wrist throbbing painfully. "Orochi shadow!" Large serpentine shadows appeared, peeling off of the ground and racing towards the rosette from all directions, chasing after him as he lept this way and that. "You can't dodge the orochi shadow! They'll chase you to the ends of Earthland!"

"Fire dragon's iron fist!" The crackling flames littering his body intensifies on his fist, chasing away the shadows as he began swinging his arm around, leaving the shadow mage gaping in horror as Natsu stalked closer. "Now listen here, ya bastard. Ya _dared_ ta touch my hoard. It's _your_ fault she got hurt, that _they_ got hurt, and I'mma give ya back every _bruise, cut, and broken bone_ they suffered." With that, his already burned cheek got another flaming fist, sending him crashing through the wall, and it became apparent to the dark haired man that he wasn't facing an ordinary mage- as if the guttural snarls and husky quality of the man's voice didn't point that out enough. Grabbing the front of Kageyama's shirt, Natsu swung him up and around his own body, the dragon slayer took a twisted sense of pleasure in seeing the dark mage's busted features. The shadow mage went flying up and crashed into the ceiling, smacking against the wall on his way back down to the ground, though he never got there. "Fire dragon's roar!" A curling inferno rushed towards him, only his right eye able to widen in horror, his left sealed shut.

* * *

A soft smile flitted across Lucy's face, a familiar heat flaring through the hallway, either through one of the many holes in the walls or from further down the corridor she wasn't sure. "Natsu," she hummed out, leaning more heavily on Erza for a moment before remembering how much magic the redhead had used and shifting her weight once more. "It's close."

"It's this way," Erza said confidently, no longer worried about staining the blonde's shirt with her blood. They began to hobble forward again, Gray lingering behind with his eyes constantly searching for any possible threats to the group and Happy watching his back for the same reason. They were only walking for another few moments, spotting the enraged dragon slayer the moment they rounded the next corner, and they found him squatting over an almost limp dark mage, a sneer on his face. "Natsu, wait! We need him!"

His head whipped around, eyes finding Lucy's more battered appearance as well as Erza's bloody arm first, and his previous anxieties hit him with enough force to sound a small whimper. "What's going on?" He looked to Happy, who had spun around from his place on Gray's head, and the feline offered him a wry smile and tired eyes.

"We need Kageyama-san to take down the Wind Wall from around the station," Lucy said, allowing Erza to slip away to begin her inquisition of the dark mage. "Erigor is headed to Clover to play Lullaby to the guild masters, and Kageyama is the only dispeller here at the moment." The blonde nearly collapsed onto the dragon slayer, either to hold him down or because her own injuries and magic deprivation were acting up he wasn't sure, and they watched the redhead whip out a sword.

"I want that magic barrier to be nullified at once," she hissed out dangerously, the tip of the sword prodding at his burned cheek. "You'll gain a new cut each time you tell me no." The shadow mage was suddenly confused as to why Fairy Tail was known as a guild of flies to the dark guilds, it was rather obvious to him that they were a band of demons hiding under the law by the evil light in narrowed mocha eyes. "Understood?" He nodded quickly, though that seemed to be the wrong answer, a blade piercing through his chest and missing his heart by centimeters. "Kage!"

Karakka stood, half hidden by the wall, his hand trembling as he watched that scarlet haired woman catch his comrade, the one who had brought him to Eisenwald. He felt like he was in shock, despite knowing that the sword sticking out of Kageyama's back was his own- he had _literally_ stabbed his closest friend in the back- and it was that ravenette's voice that broke him out of his stupor. "Shit! Our last hope!" Dark, nearly black, midnight eyes found his form, and the ice mage let out a low snarl like sound- though it didn't compare to the rosette's in the least if he were being honest.

"Hang in there, Kageyama-san!" The blonde, the one who had battled both the shadow mage and Erigor, rushed out of the dragon slayer's arms, falling to her knees and digging around in her tiny backpack for something. "Erza, what do we do?"

"Aren't you his guildmate?" Gray asked, surprising the large man with how close he was. With a tiny scream, the man disappeared back into the wall, though he couldn't escape the ice mage's wrath. Stone crumbled away as an icy battering ram broke through the wall and knocked into Karakka, knocking him back. "Aren't you two friends from the same guild?"

"You're our only chance at stopping mass murder," Lucy was pleading, having finally convinced Natsu to cauterize the wound to the best of his abilities. "Please just hang in there, Kageyama-san."

"Luce," Natsu said warily, the huskiness to his voice more muted now that the guttural growl was gone, "this is _still_ the guy who wanted ya killed. Maybe ya should hang back, a bit." The screaming only continued to grow as tears formed in Karakka's eyes, watching the legal mages work over his _friend's_ body.

"Kage, pull yourself together!"

"Erza, it's no use. He's unconscious."

"I can't let him die! He has to do it!"

"Ya can say that all ya want, but he ain't gonna use any magic in this condition!"

"He has to do it!"

"Is this how your guild works?" Gray was right in front of him, mist forming on his hands as he glared icily. "You go around killing one another for sport?"

* * *

Jutting rocks reached towards the sky like the hands of sinners, begging for relief from the deep abyss they were trapped in. "Clover town," Erigor hummed out, feet coming to a standstill on the tacks as he looked towards the horizon, "where the guild masters gather. It's getting close." He took another step before rolling his eyes. "I've already recovered most of the magic power I used up when creating that Wind Wall, so I should speed up." Wind curled around his ankles, lifting him into the sky above the single railroad track, and he swung his scythe up to his shoulder and glaring ahead, where he knew the town waited. "Those stupid geezers took away our jobs and our rights. Just wait and see. I'll kill you all with the melody of Lullaby! It's the Grim Reaper's Purge!" Without another word, he found himself speeding off through the ravine on his magic current.

* * *

"Erigor's target is the regular meeting?" Natsu snarled out, arms curling around the blonde as Happy pushed his head against the dragon slayer's jaw.

"Yes, but we won't be able to get out of here unless we do something about the Wind Wall," Lucy said, stumbling slightly when the body behind her disappeared. "Natsu?" She peeked behind her as a flash of rouge shot past her, the dragon slayer letting out a shocked yelp when the wind shoved him back towards her, the two barely avoiding collision and Happy yowling out angrily when he had to sink his claws into Lucy's shoulder to stay upright.

"Kage, please, help us out," Erza whispered, unaware of the man rushing towards the wind without fail.

"I'll just break through it!" Fire engulfed his fist, the hand plunging into the rushing wind before it spit him back out.

"Natsu, stop it!" Lucy chided. "You can't accomplish everything through brute strength alone!" She turned desperately to Gray, who watched the S-class mage- the _stupid_ rosette- slam himself against the wall again, splatters of blood staining the rushing air. "We have to do something! Is there anyway you can freeze it or something?"

"I woulda done it a long time ago if it were that simple," he said sympathetically.

They turned their attention once more to the dragon slayer as he shoved his face against the wind, Lucy freezing up in horror as crimson began to stain the air and the concrete in tiny droplets. "Hey, stop it! You'll cut yourself into pieces!" she shouted, hobbling to him as he adjusted his stance to stick his head further into the magic. "Natsu!" She finally reached him, throwing her arms around his chest and curling her legs over his hips. "I said stop!" He stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide in surprise when he finally registered who was clinging to him, and his hands fell to her thighs to keep her steady.

"Luce?"

"Shit!" Erza hissed, dropping the dark mage back to the ground and standing up. "What are we going to do now?"

"Do _you_ have any magic, Lucy?" Gray asked, the blonde furrowing her eyebrows slightly before shaking her head.

"I haven't practiced many wind spells, certainly not enough to dispel this," she said slowly, disappointed to be letting them down again. "I don't have any celestial spirits who could help us out, either. I'm sorry."

"Celestial spirits!" Happy shouted, hopping down to Natsu's shoulder and rifling through his knapsack. "Lucy, I just remembered! I have this for you!" He pulled a golden key out of the green fabric, holding it out to her happily. "It's Virgo's key! She wanted you to have it herself!"

"She," the blonde hummed out in shock, "wanted me to have it? I'm sorry, Happy. That's flattering and all, but what does it have to do with this right now? I barely have magic as is."

"But Virgo can dive underground!" he cheered out enthusiastically, shoving the magic object into her hand. "I thought that way, we could go under the magic Wind Wall and get outta here!"

"Happy, that's wonderful!" she said, snatching up the key. "I am the person-"

"Luce, ya _just_ said ya don't have enough magic," Natsu scolded, hand pressed harshly against her mouth. "Ya ain't gonna-"

"I can do this, Natsu," she hissed out around his fingers. "I am the person who connects the road to the Celestial Realm." She pushed Natsu's hand away, nearly teetering off of his back until his now unoccupied hand shot around to steady her back. "Thou shalt respond to the calling and pass through the gate. Open gate of the maiden, Virgo!"

In a brilliant flash of light, and a rather tired groan as the celestial mage slumped against the rosette, a young woman with bubblegum pink hair appeared, bowing with flourish as the shackles on her wrists chimed. "How may I help you, Mistress?" she hummed out, voice melodious and monotone at the same time.

"You look different," the blonde choked out after a moment before quickly shaking her head to reorganize her thoughts. "That all doesn't matter right now, though. We're actually in quite an emergency. We don't have the time to make a contract, so could we do that later? I promise to make one with you."

"As you wish, Mistress," the spirit said with a shallow bow. "What do you need me to do?"

"Please dig a tunnel under this Wind Wall." She gave a curt nod, hopping into the air and diving head first into the ground, tile giving way under her and leaving a large hole in its place.

"Wow, she's pretty cute," Gray mumbled.

"Quite efficient, too. Wonderful spirit, Lucy," Erza praised, ruffling golden hair affectionately. "Let's go."

"Gray, would you grab Kageyama?" Eyes turned towards the blonde in disbelief, her porcelain skin tinting red as she ducked down into Natsu's shoulder, something that earned her a soft purr of contentment. "He's hurt, most likely with internal bleeding. I know… I _know_ he's done bad things, but does he deserve to _die_ because of it?"

"That's the sign of a true Fairy Tail mage," Erza said softly, a smile decorating her face. "Gray, would you carry him to the carriage?" She waited only until he had tossed the shadow mage over his shoulder before climbing into the whole, taking the golden haired woman from Natsu and helping her into the tunnel. When they resurfaced once more, Lucy found herself sitting on the ground with her head spinning.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Mistress," Virgo said lightly, allowing the blonde to rest against her legs. "I will return to the Celestial Realm and anxiously await your next summoning as soon as your comrades are through the tunnel. It would not do well to have them being trapped in the earth, so please hold on a little longer." She gave a slow nod, sending Erza an exhausted smile when she helped Lucy to her feet, helping to disguise just how much she was leaning on the requip mage, though the pair was sure it didn't fool Natsu. It wasn't until Gray was back on land that they realized Kageyama was awake, staring towards the pair with their hair whipping around in the wind and clothes billowing lightly.

"There's no way you'll catch up with him now," the shadow mage croaked out, laughing and stammering all at once. "It's impossible. We won."

"We'd never let ya win," Gray snarled, tossing the dark mage into the back of the magical four wheeled vehicle. "You just sit there and stay quiet, ya little twerp. You're lucky that Lucy and Erza decided ya could come with us."

"Besides," Lucy said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, a bit of the strain lining her features disappearing when Virgo left, "Natsu isn't here anymore. He took Happy and is on his way to Clover right now." The celestial mage smiled gratefully towards the redhead as she was deposited into the vehicle, winking playfully to her knowing smile, and Gray settled in quickly beside the blonde.

* * *

It had been _so long_ since Happy had last used his Max Speed, his magic draining with every meter he flew past but he kept going, claws creating tiny gashes in Natsu's vest and his tail coiled tightly around the dragon slayer. If the feline were being honest, he wasn't sure if it was the narrowing distance between them and Erigor that had Natsu snarling under his breath, or the growing proximity between them and Lucy- and Happy wasn't afraid to admit that the growing closeness between the blonde and Natsu was beginning to make him uncomfortable, because now he had someone to share the dragon slayer's protective instincts and attention with. Of course, he adored the blonde- as sarcastic as his affections seemed to be- but it had only been him and Natsu for so long now, and the cat had been forced to fight to get the spot he still had, it just wasn't _fair_ to have a near stranger join in on their relationship. Shaking the bitter thoughts out of his head, and promising silently to spend the next few nights cuddled up to the blonde to make up for his jealousy, he quickly turned his sights to the rapidly approaching figure ahead of them.

"I see," a vaguely familiar voice said slowly, almost too far away to be heard. "So that's the town."

"Drop me, Haps!" The silver haired man whipped around at the rosette's voice, though he was met only with a fierce glare as the duo came close enough to attack, the cat releasing the fire mage. "Fire dragon's claw!" Feet became engulfed in flames a moment before they met the wind mage's cheek, sending him careening to the ground with a blistering cheek and an enraged dragon slayer on his tail, the rosette pausing only for a moment to catch Happy as he nearly crash landed, magically exhausted. "Stay safe, bud. I'll take care of this breezy bastard."

"You," Erigor snarled dangerously, pulling himself out of the rubble and glaring fiercely at the furious dragon slayer. "What are _you_ doing here? How did you get out?"

"Don't matter now," Natsu hissed equally as chilling. "All ya need ta worry 'bout now is how bad I'mma beat your ass for touchin' what ain't yours."

* * *

Both males watched dainty hands pull the mass of golden hair up onto the top of her head with indifferent fascination, Lucy tired of the rather exposed cab of the vehicle tangling her hair further and deciding to just put it up in a messy bun, her bangs and a few strangler strands blowing around as she tried to spot the closest friend she'd had in ages up ahead. "Why do you keep staring head like that?" Gray asked, shocking the celestial mage out of her angsty thoughts. "That ash brain will be fine, ya know. He's not an S-class mage for nothing."

"I know," she assured lightly, eyes becoming dull with solemn emotions. "It's just, he wouldn't have to be fighting Erigor _alone_ if I had just kept that damned flute for a while longer." She was sinking into herself, an obvious sign of her discomfort and negative emotions, though she was quick to turn back to the passing scenery to hide her self loathing from the prying eyes. "I've never seen him fight anyone who could match his power, so I don't know how well he'll fare. I just…" Her right arm came around, hugging her broken forearm to her abdomen, and it became clear to the ice mage exactly why she was so worried. "I don't think I would be able to forgive myself if he got hurt."

"He won't," Gray assured her with a sly smile to his face, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the cushioned seat. "Erigor not only touched, but hurt, two of his… _closest friends_ , I guess. He won't let that go easily."

"Won't let it go?" Kageyama scoffed. "Guy nearly killed me, said something about touching his… _hoard_ , I believe he said." He gave a small shrug, suddenly uncomfortable under the dark glare the ice mage was pinning on him and the confusion lining the blonde's features. "Why _did_ you bring me alone, anyways?"

"We had no other choice," Lucy said, quickly brushing off the shadow mage's words in favor of resting her hazy mind. "Everyone in Kunugi had already evacuated, so we're going to take you to the hospital in Clover. You'd better be thankful, too. We already have so much to deal with because of your guild."

"No, you don't understand. Why did you _save_ me? We're enemies, and you already had a way out of the Wind Wall." Kageyama's features lit up in understanding after a moment, a sly look of victory crossing his face. "Oh, I get it, you're taking _me_ hostage now, so you can negotiate with Erigor-san. Let me just tell you, that'd be a waste of time. He's cold blooded. There's no way he'll listen to you because _my_ life's on the line."

"Shut up," Gray hissed, obviously annoyed. "I can kill ya right now, if ya wanna die that badly. Life and death aren't the only two possible outcomes of a conflict, alright? You should all learn to live your lives more positively." Erza's magic faltered suddenly, snapping her back to a state of semi alertness as the vehicle jerked, sending Lucy flying across the car and smacking into Kageyama, the pair letting out noises of pain in varying degrees as Gray jumped up to make sure she was alright. Her sight was blurring and her head gave a light throb, making her wonder idly for a moment if she had really consumed too much of her own magic power- she _had_ just come back from an S-class job and only given herself a day's rest- before an icy hand was touching her shoulder. "You alright?"

She gave a nod, listening to Kageyama snarl out, "Don't go around falling all over people! You have a big ass and a splinted arm!"

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to electrocute you until you're unconscious," Lucy hissed back, earning an approving nod and spurring Erza forwards once more. If Lucy, having withstood storing Lullaby for hours, torture from Erigor, chasing after the boys with Erza, and getting them out of the tunnel with a spirit she wasn't contracted to could still summon up enough magical energy to perform spells, Erza could get them to Clover with no problem. She just had to believe that Natsu could hold off, possibly even defeat, Erigor- if not for every guild master in the area, then to enact his revenge for Lucy and Happy's injuries.

* * *

 _ **Chapter thirteen for you all to enjoy! It's crazy that this is already at chapter thirteen, honestly, it feels like maybe eight, and that's stretching it. If you have any questions on how magic works in this interpretation, what languages are what, characters, etc. let me know in a review or PM and I'll gladly answer. You're all so wonderful and I promise to make next chapter a good Natsu v. Erigor scene since you've been wanting it for so long.**_

 _ **Velvet Thorn**_ _ **, you're such a sweetheart!**_

 _Littlest1 **, thank you! I agree that as time progressess, Gray's magic does become more neutral- since he doesn't have devil slaying magic until fighting Tartaros if I remember correctly- and that is dark. Mirajane is such a complex character, far more complex than I think she gets credit for, and I'm going to have her in a lot of the side chapters until she becomes a big part of the story. She's such a doting motherly figure, but she's still a rebellious teenager who had too much** **responsibilities** **on her shoulders from a young age, and I don't think many people recognize that or** **incorporate** **it into her character. Oh, I had a great time coming up with Levy's backstory, too. She's honestly the love of my life and, if I were shipping Lucy with a girl, it would definitely be Levy. I'll definitely think of some non cannon jobs to have both Team Natsu and individual pairs go on- I've always liked the idea of Erza and Mira taking a few girls on a 'girls day' job. It'll be great.**_

 _ **Silver Light of Dawn , possessive Natsu is my strong point. Erigor is in so much trouble and I **__**love it. I'll probably throw in some hoarding Natsu filler chapters after this arc, too. Gray is such a smart guy, and you're right about him not being able to show it off very often! Like, he grew up in an entirely different continent, he grew up with a different language- at least, he should have all things considered- and now he's fluent in Fiorean. He doesn't really understand the full extent of Natsu's instincts, but he does get that parts of his "hoard" are special to him, though he can't really imagine how much or why. Natsu never really shared his** **draconian** **instincts with the guys of the guild, only a few of the girls have actual** **explanations** **from him, which I'll show later. Flashback chapters will save my life.**_

 _ **Arcadea333 , I know it might look like I'm skipping over the whole Lucy apologizing to Makarov thing at first when that chapter comes, but I'll add it at a more private time in the chapter. With how Lucy was raised, she would know better than to apologize/ask for stuff in front of other people, because parents get angry about that and her dad was low tolerance to things like that. I'll put in a hospital scene, when Erza and Natsu get bandaged up from the Wind Wall and Lucy gets her arm casted properly, and she'll go on to explain it then. **_

_**Lady Mafia Dragneel , thank you! I read the first chapter and I'm so excited to see it unravel! You're doing great! I never really weaned myself because I'm impulsive and one day I just was like, "Oh, I guess I'm vegan from this moment forward." If you would be willing to send your routine, that would be amazing! I would appreciate it so so so much! Thank you for everything, really!**_

 _ **TheOGTfanatic , thank you so much! Your support means everything! Natsu's feelings are going to progress, so you'll have plenty to hold you over until Lisanna comes and whips him into emotional shape. And you truly are a reviewer after my heart! Of course I'll write END!NatsuxLucy! I'm started on the first chapter already, and it's going to be a little different than what you'd expect, probably, but I'll let you know when it's up!**_

 _Flamelily274 **, Laxus has a lot of trauma in his past, so he still will leave the guild, I'm afraid. It will be a little bit different, a lot more** **animistic** **between Natsu and Laxus during their fight for sure, but his past helps him to make rash decisions because he's convinced that caring is weakness and thinks that you have to work through it by either distance or fighting.**_

 ** _, I'm doing a happy dance, too. You guys have given me seventy six reviews, over six thousand views, and a ton of compliments and motivation to keep writing! I happy dance every time I see support from you guys, honestly! I'm trying to write through the writer's block, so that's why some sections don't flow like they should, but I'll do my best! Thank you!_**

 ** _Naru285 , you guys are so cute! Natsu's gonna kick major ass, and as for Gray, well, wait for Galuna. Most of Gray's past will be revealed then, and he'll have some extra side stories, too, so keep an eye out for those too. I'm a fast typer on my phone and computer- I have piano tiles and the Oakland elementary school standards to thank for that- and when I write on my phone, I just know that I have to go back and double check that I used the correct words. It means so much that you choose to review on my story! And I just feel like it's such a Natsu thing to do, locking up his "hoard" when they're hurt and bickering with them until they either agree to relax for a while or he slumps around like her shadow all day. _**

_Artistofthemind **, thank you so much! I was going for more relateable/** **realistic** **characters with this story, because I feel like, especially now, there are a lot of people dealing with their own issues, and they need to see that it's alright to feel this way no matter how they see it. I'm so happy to have another person along for the ride! And of course, there will be a ton of Natsu/Lucy training scenes!**_

 _ **You're all fabulous! I've lost track of the days, so I don't really know how many days pass between each update now. I'm going back to school next week, but that doesn't really change anything, so don't worry. Thanks for all of the support!**_

 _ **You're all darlings!**_


	14. Chapter fourteen

**Chapter fourteen**

He ignored the wind trying to extinguish the flames that had long since overtaken his figure, taking comfort in the gentle hissing near his ear and the pulsing warmth, and found that the fire's persistence to survive only irritated the ivorette before him further. Natsu could still see the slightest sheen of blood gracing the scythe's curved blade, something that reminded him of the cat resting behind him. He was suddenly reluctant to move forward- Happy had used all of his magic power and needed to rest, so if Natsu wasn't guarding him, he was vulnerable for another attack- and refusing to stay put- Erigor would either take off towards Clover again, or the rest of his ragtag team would show up. He certainly couldn't allow that, though he had to admit that having brought someone else would have been a good idea- Gray, maybe, as he seemed to be bleeding the least- but he really didn't have the time to be thinking about that. "C'mon, ya sick freak. I'mma burn ya and that dangerous flute"

Erigor, for his part, was feeling quite intimidated. He could still feel the steady thrum of his magic traveling through the air, telling him that he was still powering the Wind Wall, and he wasn't too sure on any of the other Eisenwald members, but it seemed impossible to have the rosette in front of him. He was _so close_ to his revenge- he had _seen_ Clover!- and now there was this obviously battered man snarling at him like a demon, and the only answer was that the fire mage has forced his way past the cutting winds and come after him. He made quick work of muttering a spell, afraid to be inactive for too long and being caught unaware by the legal mage. "You Fairy Tail mages are such bothersome flies!" he shouted, his fingers ending pointed at the rosette. "Die, you puny fly."

Natsu held his arms in front of his face, feeling sharp bursts of wind slice deep into his skin and leave blood dribbling from several lacerations. He felt something sweep his legs from under his body, sending him careening over the side of the rails, and he looked up, entranced for a moment by the droplets of blood that the wind carried away from him before reminding himself of the danger not only he was in, but everyone he held dear to himself. "Haps!" The feline stirred slightly, but otherwise remained unconscious. The dragon slayer let out a low growl- he was an _S-class_ mage, like hell he was going to let some guy known as the Grim REaper do him in- and shot his hand up towards the bridge, watching a low toned fire shoot out and secure itself to the bridge- something Macao had once taught him- before pushing fire out of his feet, propelling him back in between the feline and the dark mage.

"What? Fire that clings to the bridge?" Erigor shouted, backing away slightly as the other man landed on the ground, crimson splatters lining the gravel and wooden planks beneath him. "What was that? _Who are you?_ "

"Ain't ya cold, being half dressed?" the dragon slayer gritted out. "Why don't I heat things up a little?" The flames coating his body were practically crackling in twisted delight, their sinful dance moving more quickly as they began to grow around his feet. Without a moment to spare, he lunged forward, using the fire to propel him into the dark mage and move the pair back several meters, Erigor gasping for breath as Natsu's fist settled into his diaphragm. The wind mage hadn't realized he had bit his tongue until blood began to drip down his chin, the Fairy Tail mage tossing him away and preparing his free hand for a hard, flaming punch, and Erigor found himself marveling over how quick the rosette was. "Fire dragon's claw!" A foot crashed down on him, sending him skidding along the gravel and splintering wood as his ribs popped uncomfortably, and he barely had time to jump up to avoid the next fire infused attack sent his way.

"Don't become over confident!" the silver haired man snarled, enjoying his perch in the air where the snarling dragon slayer couldn't reach him. "Storm wave!" His gloved hands flicked around for a moment before sending a tornado of cutting air towards Natsu, only being able to make out the faintest shape of the man through the high speed winds and the gravel being spit around carelessly. When the dragon slayer was kicked out again, he definitely looked worse for wear- blood decorating his tanned skin, dark bruises already forming, clothes ripped up to the point that his harem pants were missing the majority of one leg. "This is it!" Erigor rushed towards him, scythe raised and ready to kill as the dragon slayer worked to regain his bearings after being thrown around in a tight circle for so long. The blade cut deeply into the man's forearm, though the pain and the gushing blood hardly seemed to bother him as he found his footing, glaring dangerously at the dark mage. "You stopped it with your arm?"

"Fire dragon's roar!" Fire nipped at the wind mage's feet, Erigor nearly too faint with the idea of facing someone so physically strong and magically capable to defend himself. He rushed up into the sky, trying to analyze the snarling mage's pattern, though ultimately unable to find any logical explanation for his opponent.

"I underestimated your abilities a bit," he finally admitted, glaring down at the Fairy Tail mage. "Let's fight seriously now." A cocky smirk overcame Erigor's face, though it nearly fell away when Natsu mimicked the expression with more confidence behind it. "You and me." It was silent for a moment, only the splattering of blood hitting wood and gravel sounding from the ground, the dragon slayer shaking out his left arm to rid himself of the crimson liquid falling from his fingers. "Storm mail!" Wind conformed to the dark mage's body, following every movement and leaving him completely covered, and it only reminded Natsu that Lucy- a _beginning_ mage- had been forced to go against him. "Here I come."

* * *

If she had to hear one more word from Kageyama's mouth, Lucy was sure she would drown him. He let out another low groan, a telltale that he was about to open his mouth _yet again_ , and she shot Gray a look that begged for him to either gag the dark mage or hold her back from murder. "That flaming brat must be dead by now," he said slowly, _taunting_ her as if he knew she was about to commit homicide.

"Now _why_ would you say that?" she asked, voice dripping with sarcasm and dark intentions in her expressive eyes that made the dark mage shudder for a moment before laughter broke over his features.

"There's no way a fire mage could defeat Erigor-san. Flames would never break through his storm mail. _Ever_." Gray's unfamiliar arms wrapped around the blonde as she lunged, both of the legal mages satisfied with the terrified yelp that sounded as Kageyama cringed further back into his seat, the blonde even settling back with a twisted smirk on her face.

* * *

Natsu ran forward the moment Erigor lowered himself to the track, flames centering on his right hand to fight against the winds pushing back on him. "Fire dragon's iron fist!" He was momentarily stunned when the flames disappeared, hand falling against the wind surrounding Erigor's palm, though he quickly had to pull away and inspect his shredded knuckles.

"It's just as I thought," the silver haired man bit out snarkily. "You can't generate that destructive power unless you're coated with flames." He let out a series of dark laughs. "It's useless now. You see, storm mail blows wind inside out. Flames will never go against headwind! Flames simply cannot defeat wind!" He found himself growing more sure, more confident, despite the crackles even _he_ could hear as flames engulfed the dragon slayer, snarls giving the flames more cool tones. "Your flames won't be able to reach me now. Why don't you just _die_?" He made a cutting motion with his hand, sending razor like gusts of wind hurtling towards the enraged fairy, and he began cackling as the rosette fought to dodge, small pieces of fabric and a few droplets of blood being picked up on the wind.

Happy was jostled as Natsu spring forward again, flames fighting to stay alive against the headwind, and the feline found a solution forming within his mind, even as he could barely keep his beady eyes open. "It's not just the flames," the cat thought aloud, claws sinking into one of the wooden planks to keep himself from flying away again. "He can't get close with these winds."

"Take this!" Erigor cheered. "Soaring wind magic that cuts up everything! Emera baram!"

"Emera baram?" the feline called out in alarm. "You'll be chopped into bits if you get hit by that, Natsu!" A few leaves, probably having been carried over from Clover by the rapid, deadly, winds, began to dance tauntingly between the pair of enemies.

"Die! Die, cinder brat!" Erigor could hardly see the rosette racing for him when he released the attack, sections of the bridge crumbling away until only thin pathways remained in a few places. Happy found himself choked up with tears, dragging himself for a few seconds towards the limp body of his closest friend with tears in his eyes. "Not bad, boy. Your body's still in one piece." He was vaguely aware of the feline chanting stuff to the rosette, though he couldn't find it within himself to be concerned about the half conscious cat. "You're pretty good for a young mage. Don't worry, though. I'll send those ancient bastards to the other side to meet you soon enough. With Lullaby's melody, of course."

"Lullaby," the dragon slayer snarled, pushing himself onto his forearms and knees. He was undeterred when the left arm slid due to the thick layer of blood coating it, merely pressing the palms of his hands to the gravel instead. "If ya want gramps's head, ya gotta fight fair an' square, ya prick." Thick rivulets of blood were flowing from his hairline, staining some of the spiky locks a deep vermillion as his vest practically disintegrated from off of his torso- and Erigor wondered for a quick moment how that damn scale patterned scarf hadn't gotten even a _scratch_ on it.

"You're still alive?" the wind mage choked out instead, Happy's cheering grating on his nerves.

"If ya ain't got the courage ta fight, don't even bother!"

"What a tenacious brat!" All at once, the flames disappeared from around Natsu as the winds controlled by Erigor grew stronger, the Grim Reaper long past being simply annoyed with the legal mage.

"Ya bastard! Ya hurt all a my friends, ya threaten gramps, ya almost kill me, and now your just tossin' me around like some ragdoll!" Natsu shouted, looking more like the flaming end of a torch than human. "How do ya got such strong magic?" Happy felt a knowing smirk cross his features, watching Erigor take a subconscious step away from the blazing dragon slayer.

"You have quite the bizarre magic yourself. Your emotions seem to be directly manifesting into the flames around you." Of course, Natsu hadn't been meant to hear it- and he probably didn't over his own self pitying and internal raging- but the feline did. "Flame of emotion? I recall hearing about an ancient magic like that before, but how can someone so young know such an ancient magic?" The storm armor that the Grim Reaper prided himself on was beginning to desipitate, curling towards the scorching flames instead.

"Hey, Natsu! It's impossible! You can't win, so you should just leave it to Gray!" Happy shouted, well aware of the spiking temperature and the slipping control the wind mage held. "Heck, Erza could probably do a better job, maybe even _Lucy_! I don't know, it seems like you're the least qualified! I shoulda brought one of them instead!" And it was that, beyond just the thought of the weaker mage Gray or the overzealous Erza coming in and stealing away the person Natsu owed revenge to, that finally broke through the impenetrable wind. The thought of his hoard- both Happy _and_ Lucy- once again facing the sadistic bastard that had snapped her arm without a care and threatened Happy's life all the while cutting his ears made her snarl out darkly as the flames became more white than anything else.

"No way!" Erigor choked out. "Storm mail is being sucked away?"

"His wind armor came off!" the feline cheered enthusiastically.

"Such high temperatures to create a low pressure air zone. It's impossible for a normal mage, right?" the ivorette asked rhetorically. "It's impossible! Dragon slayers can't still exist!"

"Fire dragon's sword horn!" The flaming dragon slayer crashed into Erigor's torso, shattering more than a few ribs and leaving him with nasty burns as he crumpled to the ground, Lullaby hiding just under his leg. The rosette slammed his own foot down on the dark mage's arm, whether to be safe or as payback Happy was unsure, before turning to Happy. "Now _what_ was that 'bout me not being fit for the job, Haps?"

"I don't remember. Us cats have terrible memories," the feline said, deciding that being cheeky would spare him more than anything else for including his hoard into such a petty plan. "Doesn't matter now, though. You won! You really are amazing, Natsu!" They continued to sit in silence for a few minutes, sure that the others would reach them soon enough, and were rewarded by the magic powered vehicle screeching to a stop by them.

"Natsu," Lucy let out in a broken sob, stumbling out of the cab of the vehicle before it even stopped and digging through her bag for the first aid kit at the sight of him so banged up. "What happened to you?" She forced him to sit down once more, not that the dragon slayer was inclined to complain with the blonde fussing over him, and instantly began wiping the blood from his arm to reveal the deep cut in his forearm.

"Natsu beat Erigor all by himself," Happy chimed out, before looking smugly towards the trio still in the car and adding on, "You guys are late." The two Fairy Tail mages chimed out the varying forms of congratulations, though Kageyama found himself staring at Erigor's downed form in complete shock for a few moments.

"Erigor-san was actually defeated? No way."

"Look at what happened to you, though," the blonde bit out around a building sob, tears staining her vision as she fished out the supplies needed for stitching, sure that at least his arms would need them despite how hard it would be to give them to the man with a broken arm. Without even turning her head, she seemed to sense Erza removing the magical plug from her arm and disconnecting herself from the vehicle. "Gray, would you make sure Erza doesn't fall? She's used a lot of magic power."

"Lucy, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," the redhead protested, despite gratefully leaning against the dark haired ice mage and holding her forehead when the world began to spin. Gray watched, equal parts amazed and confused, as the celestial mage finally threaded the surgical needle and began to sew the cut closed on the dragon slayer's arm, keeping him still after the initial protest with a single glance.

"You know, when you get a desperate win against such an easy opponent, you're only making Fairy Tail look bad," Gray teased lightly, helping the redhead on his arm sit beside Lucy as the blonde placed a bandage over the neat stitching she did, all things considered.

"How was this desperate? It was an easy win," the dragon slayer argued with a playful lilt to his voice.

"Wearing a scarf while you're naked makes you look abnormal," the ice mage shot back quickly.

"I don't need _you_ tellin' me anythin' like that," the rosy haired man snarled back, much more serious now.

"Both of you, shut up," Lucy hissed out, moving to the large gash on Natsu's hairline, whether to obscure his vision or because it had the most blood under it remained unknown. "I packed a couple outfits for you anyways, Natsu, since you decided to leave your bag at the station. You can change when I'm done patching you up, and then we'll grab your stuff on the way back." He stilled once more, fighting to keep a quick _'yes, ma'am'_ off his lips.

"Anyways, good job, Natsu. Now the masters are safe," Erza said kindly, watching a bandage be smoothed across the cut before the blonde deemed him fine for the moment. "Since we are already here, we might as well go see Master at the meeting place. We will need to report this incident and ask about what to do with the flute. Clover's only a little bit ahead, anyway."

A moment later, Happy and Lucy were squished under Natsu as Erza tackled Gray to the ground, the group narrowly avoiding being hit by Kageyama as he spurred the vehicle forward, using a shadow hand to pluck Lullaby from the ground and pass it to him. "You careless flies! The flute, Lullaby, is in my hands now! Serves you right!" he cackled out, racing towards Clover.

"That _bastard_!" Lucy shrieked, sitting up as quickly as she could with one hand and a dragon slayer on top of her. "How could he just steal our transportation and leave? We _saved his life_!" In the evening sun, it became apparent that the blonde belonged on the team, features contorted into fury as she tried to keep herself from firing unnecessary electric bolts towards the disappearing vehicle. "We're going after him." Natsu only waited a moment before walking alongside her, scooping Happy up and laying him on the mess of rosy hair, and the other two were quick to follow.

* * *

It was dark by the time that Kageyama found the building that hosted the regular meeting, and he was relieved to see silhouettes still within the windows, even as his injuries screamed at him for overexertion. He settled down on the hood of the car, sure that the cursed flute in his hand could perform mass murder from the distance he was at currently, though a hand fell on his shoulder almost instantly. He froze up, unsure how the Fairy Tail mages had found him so quickly, though he turned his head to see a tiny old man behind him instead, the elderly master breaking into laughter while prodding his cheek with a single finger. A fit of coughs sobered him up, Makarov chiding himself lightly with near silent words. "No, now is not the time for me to be doing this. I've gotta hurry and find out where those three went. There's only so much damage control I can expect the new girl to do, and a town might disappear." He hopped off of the vehicle, rushing away in a waddle like walk, before calling, "You should go back, too. To the hospital, I mean," over his shoulder.

It was only then, catching a glimpse of the guild mark staining the miniscule man's clothing, that Kageyama realized that he was near the Fairy Tail guild master. "Actually," he called back, hesitantly raising Lullaby to his face and spreading an easy smile across his lips, "will you listen to one song? The hospital won't let me play my flute." Cold sweat broke out across his face, sure that the old man _knew_ everything with a single glance, but he held firm under the disbelieving glare of the master. "I just really want someone to listen to it."

"That's a creepy flute," Makarov hummed out slowly after a moment.

"It may seem so, but it sounds pretty decent," the shadow mage insisted, stepping closer to the tiny man. "It was a gift from my late grandfather, and it's such an honor to have played it at all. I think I'm ready for an audience."

"Fine, but I'm in a hurry. Only one song, okay?" the tiny man negotiated at last, wise eyes watching the easy smile becoming sinister.

"Sure. Please listen carefully." He could hear the laughter back at Eisenwald, the fantasizing over pretty girls and the drunken hoots of either approval or amusement as they all came to the consensus that the only good thing about legal guilds were the girls that joined them, their plots of revenge against the world of magic that cast them into the shadows, the deafening _cheers_. He pressed the flutes against his mouth, ready to play the fatal note, when another voice chided him in his mind, those _stupid flies_ pestering his mind with thoughts of being good, and he began to tremble under the strain of the decision he had to made.

That was what the quartet walked into, preparing to shout for the master and warn him, only to have a rather round man with stubble and angel wings sewn onto his camisole step in front of them and shush them lightly. "The best part is coming up," he purred out, Natsu understanding why Lucy and Happy sank further towards him as even Erza jumped in shock. "Just watch." The heavily made up face did a double take, looking towards Gray and Natsu and sending them a wink and a kiss. "You guys are pretty cute."

"Why is he?" Lucy whimpered, helping to stabilize Erza as she tried to find her bearings on a gnarled root.

"Master Bob of Blue Pegasus."

Dark eyes turned towards them, a nostalgic smile crossing the master's face as he took in the scarlet haired woman. "My, Erza-chan, you sure have grown!"

"What's going on?" Makarov snapped from up ahead, gaining everyone's attention once more. "Hurry up already." Another man stepped out of the shadows as Erza tried to race forward, intent on stopping the mass murder. "Now!"

"Just stay quiet," the newcomer said. "This should be interesting." Bob shoved Lucy towards Natsu, pleased by how calm the stranger seemed to make the rosette, and then moved his attention to keeping Erza behind him, knowing full well that the tawny haired man could handle Gray.

"Nothing will change," Makarov said decisively. "Those who are weak shall stay weak forever, but weakness is not evil since human being are weak creatures to begin with. Alone, you feel nothing but your insecurities, but that's why we form guilds. _That's_ why we have comrades." Kageyama found himself staring towards the legal guild master in awe, stunned by his insight, by his knowledge on what needed to be said. "We walk together in order to live strong lives. The clumsy ones will run into more obstacles than the others, and so it may take them longer to get there, but if you believe in tomorrow and put yourself out there, you can naturally obtain your strength." By now, even the guild masters within the building were staring at the pair, hoping that Makarov was really as good with troubled youngsters as his guild lead them to believe- perhaps even _better_. "That's how you'll be able to smile and live a strong life. _Without_ having to depend on such a flute, _of course_." He was grinning, well aware that the shadow mage was moments from tears by the look in his eye and the tremble to his limbs.

Kageyama dropped Lullaby to the ground, following after and bowing on his hands and knees. "I admit my loss." A moment later, the group from Fairy Tail was thundering over, the guild masters pouring out and shocking the old man.

"What? Why are you three here?" Makarov screeched out, being yanked into a tight hug by a deeply moved Erza.

"Natsu, Kageyama, we're going to the doctors," Lucy said sternly, despite being practically draped over the rosette's shoulder as more excited chatter sounded around the clearing.

"You mages have no guts," a demented voice cried out, shocking everyone into silence. "I can't hold it in any longer! I'll just eat you all myself." Smoke began to curl away from Lullaby, forming a towering monster that looked to be made out of gnarled trees and dangerous appendages. "Let me consume your pitiful souls!"

"No," Lucy breathed out in horror, right arm hugging Happy to her chest as Natsu dropped her onto the ground. She had, of course, read that each of Zeref's demons had a final _'etherious'_ form, but to think that a flute would become a monster. "Impossible."

* * *

 ** _And that's where I end this chapter. So, I feel like the Erigor v. Natsu portion was really hyped up and it wasn't all that great, but I didn't want to make him overpowered any more than he already is and all that stuff, so it just kinda turned out like that. It's currently two in the morning, though, and I finished this chapter for you guys._**

 ** _Arcadea333 , I heck yeah Happy had to hype Natsu up to get him to beat up Erigor! That's my little kitten for you! _**

**_SunsFlair_ _, if you want me to include movies and stuff, give me a rough time frame of when they should happen and I'd be more than happy to include them! I'm basically just following the manga right now, but I'm open to suggestions of all kinds- if you have a job suggestion that you want to see a certain team take, you want to see the movies, you want to see a first date chapter- let me know and I'll most likely do it! I just need time frames, really._**

 ** _TheOGFTfanatic , you're so sweet! I'll be happy to answer all reviews up until it becomes overwhelming, but I don't want to leave anyone hanging. Happy's honestly my dude and I can't wait for this arc to be over- I honestly say that about every arc oh my goodness- and do the filler chapters of Natsu hoarding until Lucy and Happy are healed and, by extension, Lucy and Happy bonding further. It'll be great. I have such great friendships planned for Gray and Lucy- and Levy, love my little bean sprout- and I can't wait for the bonding of Galuna arc! _**

_Silver Light of Dawn **, Natsu for sure! I love feral Natsu, too. You don't understand, I couldn't get enough so I wrote my own feral Natsu story. It's dedication to a cause. I feel like Gray would have a deep sense of the** **equivalent** **of a Bro Code between him and Natsu, since they've known each other for so long, and he would kinda realize that it wasn't his place to tell anyone about Natsu's hoard, yaknow? I think Happy was a brat cause of jealousy and not knowing how to express it, so I'm going to express that in here.**_

 _ **Naru285 , oh my goodness, you are too kind! Thank you so much! **_

_**19vanelkc , you don't understand my attraction to angry/possessive Natsu. You're really not the only one, I can count as like five people alone, it's not okay. It's like a sickness, I swear. It's my shit, I can't even cope. You're such a sweetie!**_

 _Bibliophilia13 **, I imagine Nyra as a more Chinese type dragon as opposed to the Eastern dragon, too, so you got it spot on. I feel like Igneel is more offensive, so he needs more bulk, and Nyra is defense, so she's more slender and agile. She's also a spirit, so, if need be, she** **technically** **could become a more Eastern styled dragon, but I like the slim Chinese dragon for her. Thank you so much for your compliments, they mean a lot!**_

 _ **Littlest1**_ _ **, yes! Team Valkyrie is accepted and consider it used! Love love love the name! And you already know I'mma make Happy and Lucy best buds- they're going to annoy the shit out of Natsu when he does the hoard healing sessions (locks them up). I totally agree, Lucy is by far one of the strongest in Fairy Tail, even if she doesn't have the same magic power as them. Every Fairy Tail girl is kick ass and I love them! Oh, I love Cana and Lucy being friends more than I love my life. I have all of these aus planned out where they're adopted sisters and it's great. They compliment each other so well. Cana's actually one of the reasons I wanted to make the Team Valkyrie- great name again I love it. And Lucy with the Thunder God Tribe gives me chills all the time. I love overprotective brother Laxus as much as I love overprotective brother Gajeel, and Freed and Bickslow- even Evergreen when she loosens up- will love Lucy. It'll all be great!**_

 ** _As always, you guys are the best of all time and I love you all._**

 ** _Thanks for almost seven thousand views and almost ninety reviews!_**


	15. Chapter fifteen

**Chapter fifteen**

"What is that?" Kageyama cried out in horror, shrinking further into himself. He caught sight of the Fairy Tail mages, all leaning heavily on one another as though they couldn't stand alone, and scuttled behind their bunch, unwilling to go first. "I didn't know anything about this!" A few of the guild masters closest to the building retreated once more, the ones who had stayed inside looking through windows ducking away with false aches and pains to keep them out of the fight.

"Oh my, this is bad," Bob giggled out behind his hand, beads of sweat forming on his temples.

"It's a demon from the book of Zeref!" Goldmine, the shaggy haired guild master of Quatro Cerberus, hissed out towards his plump friend.

"I'm starving to death!" Lullaby snarled, moving deep rooted feet and tearing up the ground as he clobbered towards the group. "I'm gonna eat your souls!" Erza stumbled slight, having inched ahead of her nakama to keep them safe, and both Gray and Lucy lunged for her when the ground beneath her feet began to shift. Natsu quickly shifted himself before the trio, Happy whining slight as he hurried onto the blondes shoulders and curled around her neck, tail flicking anxiously.

"What is going on?" the redhead asked, fruity voice quivering slightly. "How could the demon come out of a flute?"

"The demon _is_ Lullaby," Lucy said, curling her right arm around Erza's back and settling her splinted left hand onto the dragon slayer's shoulder, pulling him back as she began to retreat slowly. "It's living magic, the magic Zeref specialized in." She stumbled slightly, flinching when a hand fell on her back to stabilize her until she realized that it was Gray.

"Zeref? You mean _that_ Zeref from the ancient times?" he asked, voice a pitch too high.

"Yes," the master of Blue Pegasus said, "Dark mage Zeref. The most atrocious mage in the history of magic." He shivered slightly, inching his way behind Goldmine, who scolded and shoved pudgy hands off of his shoulders. "I never imagined that this adverse legacy from several hundred years ago would reappear."

"Now," the demon above them cooed out in a bellowing boom. "Whose soul should I enjoy first?" Another thundering step towards them sent the mages skittering further backwards, the group of guild masters dipping inside the building more quickly than they should have. "I've decided. I'll just have all of yours at once!" A sharp growl punctuated their takeoff; Natsu, Erza, and Gray tearing out from around the shocked celestial mage and racing towards the towering demon with dangerously sharp glares.

The redhead was the first to activate her magic power, thankful that her magic energy began to replenish far more quickly over the years of over exerting herself. "Requip, heaven's wheel armor," she chanted, light enveloping her entire body as ribbons of steel and sheets of rayon curling around her body, perfectly crafted swords appearing in her hands.

"Armor requipping magic?" Goldmine stuttered out in awe, all eyes watching the fluid movement of the redhead slicing deep into the leg of the demon, deep enough that he grunted in pain. She spun around quickly, boosting the dragon slayer up the demon's body and as fire shot out of his feet to carry him the rest of the way. Natsu landed a firm kick to the demon's head, knocking him back half a step, and the masters still gathered below the scene gaped openly at it.

"He blew away the demon's huge body with just a kick! Is he really just a mage?"

"How impudent!" Lullaby snarled, turning to face where Natsu was free falling back to the demon's shoulder. He opened his mouth just as the dragon slayer landed on his arm, firing off a beam of magic that the rosette had to jump to avoid entirely. That, of course, left the attack racing towards the group below the fight, Gray hurrying back far enough to protect them as he threw a fist onto his open palm.

"Ice make shield!"

"An ice make mage?"

"What does that matter? He won't make it in time! We'll all get hit!"

He threw his arms apart, ice manifesting as quickly as his arms moved, and the beam of magic hit the self reinforcing ice, stopping it and leaving the frost to shatter once the attack ended. "He's fast!"

"He's able to control alchemy magic that fast!"

"Alchemy magic?" Kageyama asked, confused. While it was true that Eisenwald has once been a legal guild, it had been before he had joined, and the dark mages weren't big on much more than death and destruction, so learning the proper forms and titles of magic weren't high on the list.

"It's a type of magic that gives shape to the magic power, and takes it away as well," Happy told him, his paws kneeding against Lucy's shoulder as the ice mage adjusted his stance.

"Ice make lance!" Tendrils of ice shot away from the raven haired man, digging themselves deeply into the wooden flesh of the demon and ripping apart the almost decorative holes placed precariously along his torso. Gray looked around, spotting Erza watching the fight with a critical eye nearby and Natsu hanging onto the demons head while sparking fires all around his body that the demon fought to put out, and he let a confident smirk rip across his lips. "Now!"

"Requip, black wing armor!" In a flash of brilliant light, the redhead adorned obsidian, black steel, and leathery wings that carried her quickly towards the demon.

"Black wing armor? But, that's a legendary armor that increases the attack's destructive power!"

The dragon slayer leapt off of the demon's head, flames blazing on both of his hands, and be brought them together while shouting, "Fire dragon's brilliant flame!" He was already falling onto a stupified demon when the explosion of flames flared out, scorching wood and sending embers floating leisurely through the air. Erza zipped around, cutting anything she could get her hands on, a few fingers actually dropping to the ground.

"Ice make cannon!" The last shot sent the demon stumbling, leaning back towards the regular meeting hall, something that only Lucy seemed to notice as the other Fairy Tail mages were basking in their glory and the guild masters were shocked at how easily the etherious demon was defeated.

 _"Gaoth,"_ the blonde mutter, pushing as much of her magic as she could into the spell. The wind followed her movement, shoving the demon just to the left of the building and causing the fence to crumble, but everything else remain relatively intact. Happy gaped openly at her when he had to snap his wings open to steady her- Lucy's knees nearly giving out under the force of the magic that made even her pocket dimensions snap closed- and Makarov turned a grateful eye towards them as if sensing her quiet deed.

"Zeref's demon was so easily defeated?"

"I'm impressed."

Makarov began openly laughing at that, even Kageyama gaping towards the trio gathering themselves in the rubble of their fight. "Amazing," he breathed out. "This is Fairy Tail?"

"No," Lucy corrected weakly, a proud look on her face as Erza allowed her regular armor to appear over her curvaceous form. "This is Fairy Tail's strongest team."

"What do you think?" the tiny guild master chortled out, hopping around like some drunken brownie. "Aren't they great?"

"They really are terrific!" The blonde grinned eagerly at the group as the S-class mages lead their way back towards the small group still assembled outside, the clingy dragon slayer curling around the celestial mage and settling his chin on her shoulder. "You guys are the best!"

"Now," Bob cooed out as he latched onto Kageyama, the tearful moment of seeing legal magic in action ruined by the pudgy finger tickling his jaw, "you have to go see a doctor."

"Goodness, I don't really know why this happened, but we certainly owe Fairy Tail one," Goldmine said, the small group of elderly mages behind him chirping out agreements as Makarov waved off their gratitude and hopped around some more, gloating at the victory towards his guild.

"And even the regular meeting sight is fine!" he laughed out joyfully. "I knew that you would help me with damage control!" As if to congratulate her, Makarov planted a firm hand on Lucy's butt, making the teenager squeal and a series of guttural growls tear through Natsu's throat, furious at someone touching his injured hoard- _especially_ such a sexual touch.

"We should get you to the doctor, too," the blonde stated, steering the rosette away from the battle and trying to appease him into calming again. She shot pleading looks towards the other members of her guild, who quickly stepped up and voiced their agreements, and they began to limp towards the center of town together, even Kageyama hiding from the master of Blue Pegasus.

* * *

A sluggish hand pulled the flimsy material of the hospital gown from her body, leaving her in her undergarments, before moving to search the chair for her shredded clothes, grateful that Gray had left her his jacket- assuring her that he didn't need it and would only end up losing it if it were left in his care. A knock sounded on the door as she pulled the large garment over her shoulders, still barefoot but hardly aware of it at this point, and she offered a small, "Come in." The generic door opened to reveal the tiny master of the Fairy Tail guild, emotions unidentifiable to her in her haze. "Master."

"Lucy, my girl, how are you doing?" he asked kindly, fishing her heeled boots out from under the chair and sliding them towards her. She offered him a slight nod and a grateful smile as she sat on the standard issued cot and began the taxing process of pulling her boots on with a single, and it took him a moment that the dazed nod was the best he would get out of her. "I've already talked to the rest of your team about what happened on the job. Would you mind giving me your own summary?"

The job, she remembered with a cringe, was why she was now in the Clover hospital- it was why they were _all_ in the Clover hospital- and she couldn't help the guilty feelings that began to sober her mind like icy rain. "The job," she breathed out, the solemn tone to her voice shocking the elderly man. From what he had heard, the blonde did splendidly, especially with it being her second job as a guild mage, and yet she had an expression that seemed to confess murder. "I'm _so_ sorry about the job, I honestly didn't mean to come along, it's just that Mirajane- well, that doesn't really matter now, does it?" She gave a bitter laugh as her right hand slipped, the blonde instinctively using her left arm to keep herself from falling backwards. Lucy gave a small whimper of pain, cursing her own stupidity as she snatched the sling that had been left behind and shoving her casted arm into it to keep herself from any further embarrassment. "I really am sorry. I should never have come on this mission. It was stupid of me, and I really haven't done much more than get in the way."

"From what I hear, that's not true," the old man argued lightly, moving over to the bed and cautiously placing a hand on the teenager's knee. "Erza said that you faced off with not only Kageyama, but also Erigor _alone_. Gray said that they would still be in Onibus if you hadn't sensed Lullaby, and that you actually _stole_ it from Kageyama. Then, of course, you got them out of the Wind Wall that Erigor put up, and you saved the regular meeting site. I think you fit into this job perfectly." She kept her mouth screwed shut, eyes clouded in disbelief and a murky daze, and Makarov let out a soft sigh. "Actually, I was thinking, I don't want those three teaming up unless you're there. You are amazing at damage control, as far as I'm aware."

She hesitated for only a moment before giving a curt nod, the guild master disturbed by how easily she lost the will to argue, and she pulled on her other boot. "If that's what you want, then consider it done," she said, voice pleasant despite the monotone plaguing it. He gave her a skeptical look- no father (or _grandfather_ , he supposed) wanted to see someone they considered kin bend to another person's whims so easily. "Is there anything else, Master?"

He gave out a deep sigh, a tired smile lighting up his features. "Would you go calm Natsu down before he burns down the building? None of the doctors have been able to get close to him." A flicker of amusement passed over her dull features as she nodded, shouldering her empty backpack and standing slowly. "Maybe ya can help an old man write the Council a report when we get back to the guild, too. You seem like the most level headed of the bunch."

"Of course," she said sweetly, passing through the door quickly and leaving the tiny old man with his thoughts. The moment she walked through the door to Natsu's room, she had a desperate doctor blubbering things in her face that her foggy mind couldn't even begin to keep up with. "What?"

"Luce!" Almost dizzyingly quickly, she was surrounded by the smell of a campfire and Desiertan spices- at least, that's what she thought it smelled like- which could only mean Natsu. "Are ya okay? Gramps said ya would come see me soon as ya were up."

"I just got done talking to him," she hummed out around a yawn, wanting nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep the week away. "I actually heard that you were being unnecessarily difficult to the doctors. C'mon, I'll sit with you if you let them bandage you up, m'kay? Then, we can head home and I can sleep." He agreed quickly, a beaming grin on his features, and made his way back to the bed with her hanging on his arm, unsure if it was the medication or her magic deprivation that made her so disorientated.

Meanwhile, the dragon slayer couldn't wipe the stupid smile off of his face if he wanted to. Sure, a part of him realized that when she said home, she mean Magnolia in general, but the more draconic part of him was planning on hiding her away in his little cottage until she could walk straight and her arm wasn't in that god awful cast. As such, home ended up being his house within the instinctual parts of his mind, and then she was leaning against him trying her hardest to stay awake- trusting _him_ to protect her in her moment of weakness (not Erza and _certainly_ not that pansy, Gray). On that note, he couldn't wait to stop by Kunugi Station and grab his shit, because that ice freak's jacket was not going to stay on _his_ hoard once he had his own clothes to keep her warm and covered with.

* * *

 _ **Okay, so terrible chapter, I know. It's short, it's boring, but hey, I have been struggling with it for like three days now, so I'm just posting it to get it out of the way. I'm sorry, I love you guys and you all deserve more, but this is it for now.**_

 _ **19vanelkc , you are honestly my most relatable reviewer! Grease, loving hoarding Natsu, Dragon Incidents (I started reading it, I'm just so loyal to Gajevy that it makes me cry a little inside). I love you, too, though, so yes. You're so awesome!**_

 _Littlest1 **, you're so creative, I love it! Oh my god, I can't wait for Freed, Levy, and Lucy to become a clique. It's gonna be great because they're all going to give Laxus the cold shoulder for like two minutes because Freed doesn't deserve the treatment he gets, but then Freed will give Laxus a tearful apology and Levy goes over and give him tough love and it'll be awesome. I have some pretty fucked up ideas for Phantom, so beware. It's not only rated M for mature ideas, there will also be blood (lots of it) and maybe some adult themes if I'm feeling up to it. I don't know yet. And I honestly love Zeref with a passion and I'm going to make at least five oneshots about him being a big softy because he's adorable and it'll be amazing. I got some surprises in store after Zeref is introduced, too.**_

 _ **Mirjam , OHMYGAWD ILOVEYOUSOMUCHYOU'RETHEBEST! You're so sweet I'm literally in tears please keep enjoying and leave any suggestions or if you want to see how I think a job or something will play out, leave it in the reviews! I love you with all my heart!**_

 _ **Arcadea333 , I might skip it the town full of monsters (maybe I'll make it into an official job or something that they do) and Lucy doesn't help much, but I figure with her limited magic energy, it's fine. **_

_**Jake the Dragon , you're dope. Thank you for enjoying. **_

_**, don't you dare worry about having to review or stay up to date with reading when adult life is stressing you out so much! This is meant to be an escape, but escape responsibly, but also don't overwork yourself. You're a beautiful human and I love you regardless of if you review or if it's short or anything. Having your support because you're reading it alone is good enough for me. You're amazing. Get sleep, drink water, eat good food, but also eat junk food to give yourself a treat if that's what you're into. You're great.**_

 _ **Naru285 , you're so sweet oh my goodness. Thank you so much! Leave any filler arcs you'd like to see below.**_

 _ **IndigoArcher89 , heck yeah Happy wants cuddle time with Lucy. He may be jealous, but he still will find out she's the best cuddler and there's no way better to piss Natsu off than to cuddle her when she's mad at the dragon slayer. **_

_**Therashea , you're so cute oh my goodness I love you so much! That was such a creative compliment and it made me go back over the chapter to make sure it was decent enough to publish. I love you.**_

 _ **Okay, so that's it for me, but I'll leave an application for jobs below if you wanna submit one. It would mean a lot! And it'll give my dead brain some inspiration. Plus, how cool will it be to see my take on a job you thought of. I'm sick, so if this doesn't make sense, I understand. Also, I put up a story that's basically just a spellbook if you're ever confused about the original spells you see Lucy (or other characters later on) preforming. Check it out.**_

 _ **Thank you all for your support!**_

* * *

 **Job application:**

Description of job:

Location: (please just keep it in Fiore, you can make up town names or use ones already mentioned if you want to)

Pay:

Who you want to go on the job: (Could be teams, specific names, a single person, etc.)


	16. Chapter sixteen

**Chapter sixteen**

Heavy cotton fell over her shoulders, shocking the blonde once more into returning to full consciousness, topaz doe eyes watching Natsu as he tossed the jacket she had been wearing towards Gray with one hand and curling the heavy blanket more tightly around her. "It's okay, Luce," he cooed soothingly, returning his arm to under her knees. She couldn't quite remember much after leaving the hospital, sure that the sedatives had caused her to fall asleep during the ride to Kunugi Station, and the warmth clinging to parts of her body lead her to believe that the dragon slayer had tasked himself with carrying her.

"I can walk," she protested weakly, melting slightly against him as he hoisted her into his arms. He was so warm, and she was sure that it was either the sedatives she couldn't fight much longer or the magic depletion that had her leeching off what felt like heat from a furnace. He shook his head slightly, a small smile coming over his face, and merely continued walking with his backpack now nestled against his back and Happy settling on Lucy's abdomen.

She had passed out the moment Makarov had begun driving them back to Kunugi, nearly slipping off of the bench in her restlessness, and he couldn't lie and say that her obvious nightmares- not the ones that you woke up screaming from, but the ones that tortured you silently- hadn't scared him. "I can carry ya," the dragon slayer stated, his voice shocking her back into full consciousness again. "Why don't ya get some sleep? Ya worked hard t'day."

"But," she began, biting her lip to keep from spilling her fears to someone who seemed so fearless. It would be inconsiderate, she reasoned, to put another burden on Natsu when he was already taking care of her. Seeing her features close, losing the questioning light that given her face a hint of life, he pouted slightly and cocked his head to the side.

"What?" She shook her head with a tight smile on her face, eyes sliding closed for a moment before fluttering open once more, as if her thick eyelashes were suddenly too heavy to be supported, and he felt a bit of possessiveness come over him. "What? Ya can tell me."

"It's nothing, really," she argued, finding the burning curiosity in his eyes enough to loosen her lips. "It's just, well, I don't want anyone to see me asleep." She was having a hard time articulating what was bothering her, even _Happy_ could see that, and there was a small quiver to her body that only seemed to worsen the longer she took trying to voice what was bothering her. "I mean, what if I have a… _nightmare_?"

"A nightmare?" he questioned back, the blonde hissing for him to be quiet while her face burned red. "I'll keep ya safe." He shot her a grin, looking up as they approached the abandoned train, where Makarov was talking to a pair of employees, trying to work out a ride home.

"That's not it." He was startled slightly by the haunted eyes that moved to the feline kneading her shirt, even Happy's movements stopping when her brown eyes found him. "It's just, everyone's been through so much on their own, but they don't show how much it bothers them. I don't want to…" He curled his arms around her more tightly, folding her a tiny bit further and crushing her against his chest with enough force to stutter her words.

"Everyone gets 'fraid sometimes," he hummed out lowly, watching the tiny old guild master wave them towards the empty train as one of the employees boarded it. "Jus' work through it however ya can. We're all here ta help if ya need it." He stepped onto the train, nearly stumbling as the rocking made his head feel too light, and followed Erza's bright hair to a private compartment, the Fairy Tail members curling up on the benches moments before the train began moving.

* * *

She had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past few minutes, struggling to stay awake with Natsu draped over her body and the gentle swaying of the train, and it was only the gentle movements of her right hand in rosy hair that kept her with any semblance of awareness. It was strange, if she were being honest, it was weird to be awake while Erza and Gray slept on either side of Makarov and Happy dozed peacefully on Natsu's back. "Lucy, my girl, are you not tired?" the guildmaster asked lowly after a long moment.

"I'm sure if I sleep now, I won't be able to rest when I get home," she told him, nearly cursing herself for the practiced ease with which the words slipped past her lips. She hated speaking with adults, it had long since been programmed within her mind that they were only to be spoken to with the highest respect and the fanciest language, even a year couldn't break her of that habit. "You shouldn't worry about me, Master."

"You're one of my children," he argued, voice soft regardless. "I will worry about you until the day I die, just the same as I will worry about Mirajane, Natsu, Erza, and Gray." There was a heavy silence in the air, comforting towards the old man while being suffocating towards Lucy, until the dragon slayer gave out a pitiful whine at the lull in Lucy's movements. "What're ya still doing up, brat? This was supposeda be a heart ta heart between me and Lucy. Just go to sleep, damn it!"

"You're just bein' a creepy ol' man," he slurred out as agile fingers began carding through his hair again. "Give 'er a break." Lean arms curled more firmly around her waist, nose burrowing into the celestial mage's side to keep from snarling at the elder for trying to delve deeper into a mind that he had claimed, in a mind that hadn't even opened to him despite being possessed by him. Natsu found a cast pressed against his right shoulder blade, right hand adjusting to his closeness and he found himself growing to like the blonde more- craving the attention she readily gifted him with instead of pushing him away.

"I'm alright, Natsu. Master was well within his bounds." He wanted to be upset with her for pushing herself past her own comfort level, and he likes to think that on some deep level he retained his annoyance, but she ended up running her nails over that spot behind his ear and he found himself purring lightly.

"How'd ya manage that spell anyways? I thought you were a celestial mage," Makarov hummed out.

"I am," she said, continuing her assault on Natsu's sweet spot to keep him from confronting the old man again. "I haven't always had golden keys, though, and only a few silver keys are meant for attack. I had to learn more attack orientated magic to survive. That was just some Midian spell I picked up in a book a couple years ago."

"Midian magic is difficult to control," he praised lightly. "To be able ta guide sucha strong gust 'a wind, especially when your primary magic is connected to the heavens, it's quite impressive." His entire demeanor changed, going from serious to almost flamboyantly happy with excessive pride bleedingly through as he stared at her. "I knew you would be great for damage control! Oh, and to think ya have Natsu wrapped around your finger and beggin' like some hatchling!"

"Gramps!" the dragon slayer whined, despite leaning more heavily on the blonde when she gave him another soothing scratch. "That's it, no more talkin' 'a Luce. You're justa creepy ol' man." He moved dazed eyes, hazel with flakes of red almost once you looked past the all encompassing onyx base, towards her and gave her a little whine. "Ya won't talk ta him, right?"

"Natsu, he's the guild master," she protested weakly under his puppy eyes, which only seemed to intensify. "You're being unreasonable." Her voice was weak as she moved her own topaz eyes away from his face, raking blunt nails across the base of his neck to divert his gaze. "So, I'm going to have to stop by the guild on my way home. Mirajane has probably found all of my stuff by now, and I'm sure she will want to make sure I'm alright."

"Why would she think you weren't?" Happy asked tiredly, having given up on his cat nap when the roset he was residing on decided to start purring- it was nice sometimes, but after the day he had, he just wanted an unmoving surface to lay on. "And whatdya mean she found your stuff?"

"That enchantment on my bag has a constant drain of magic to keep my things suspended in a pocket dimension. Since I used most of my magic, there was no support to keep my things in the pocket dimension and they dropped when I visit most frequently." She looked up, proud of her explanation, only to be met with several blank faces, Erza and Gray now awake and only the redhead looking to comprehend what the blonde had just said in the least.

"It sounds like a wonderful enchantment," Erza said, voice dripping in approval. "My own requip magic allows me to access the space of my room to gather weapons and armor, so to hear that you have created a pocket dimension is quite impressive. You shall have to show me this enchantment so I may further my magic potential."

"None of those words make senses!" Happy yelled out in frustration, both Natsu and Gray nodding along while Makarov tried to sort through his rather basic Fiorean knowledge for any of the vocabulary the pair had used.

"Oh? Are you saying you wish for me to teach you the Fiorean dictionary?" the scarlet haired mage asked, voice threatening and eyes bright. The males all blanched and venomously denied the offer, though Lucy was sure they were being dramatic.

* * *

Despite the weakness in her knees and the weights seeming to draw her eyelids together, the celestial mage stood on her own two feet and stretched her arms as far above her head as possible, unaware of how the dragon slayer stood perfectly in front of her to hide the tattered remains of her clothes from bystanders' sights, Gray even catching her blanket before it could slip off of her and hiding her back with it- if _only_ because he knew Natsu would beat the shit out of him instead of plumbing some scrawny human who decided to check out his hoard. Sure, Gray didn't know much about hoarding- it sounded primitive and stupid, if he was being honest with himself- but he knew how aggressive the dragon slayer could be and it was clear how defensive the roset was of his newest partner.

"Thanks, Gray," Lucy hummed out, curling the blanket around her once more. Almost immediately, a scowl was pinned on the ravenet who couldn't seem to catch a break with the dragon slayer, though kind eyes moved down to the blonde when she leaned against him. "We should get some dinner when we get to the guild. I'm starving."

"'Course ya are," he grumbled back, slipping a hand around her waist and easily supporting the weight she gave him. "Ya ain't been eatin' enough anyways 'cause ya been shoppin' for your house. I'll pay." She began to protest, and it was only then that Gray realized the two were walking and we was not, so he looked around to see Happy at his feet, watching the pair with a mixture of mirth and envy.

"I've never seen ash face offer to buy someone else food," the ice mage mumbled, watching the cat nod slightly. "Are they dating or some shit?"

"No. She's just a part of his hoard. Natsu keeps his hoard safe, and that includes making sure they don't starve." He frowned deeply, beginning to walk forward with the midnight haired man a step behind him. "He'll probably be even more clingy for a while. Lucy got hurt, after all, and not just physically." He let out a small whimper when he remembered seeing her, arm bent awkwardly with a look of acceptance on her face until the scythe had cut into him, the sorrow and fear something he didn't think he would ever forget.

* * *

Mirajane was anxious. Of course, seeing as whatever Erza had dragged three of the Fairy Tail mages out on wasn't an official job, she had no way of knowing how long it would be before they returned, but she had found a small cluster of books, clothes, toiletries, and a first aid kit resting around Lucy's bar stool that morning which meant one of two things- Lucy was out of magic or dead. Neither of the options were particularly favorable, but she certainly wished that the blonde was still alive. She was struggling to keep her emotions in line, refusing to let anyone in on what certainly wasn't their business, when the doors slammed open and drew her attention to Erza and Makarov, her sapphire eyes darting behind them without even checking them for injuries as she usually would. It wasn't until she saw a head of blonde hair that she visibly relaxed, dropping the mug in her hand and shattering it as she sprinted out from behind the bar and towards the celestial mage. "Lucy!"

"Mirajane?"

Natsu hardly had the time to step around the blonde, planting himself firmly between the pair of women with a warning growl that the ivorette completely ignored. "Thank the gods, you're safe!" Rosy lip prints appeared on Lucy's forehead, puckered lips kissing porcelain skin gratefully until a hand brushed up against the rough material of the blonde's casted arm. "What happened?"

"It was terrific, Mirajane," Erza announced happily, drawing even more attention to the group. "You should have seen her. Not only did Lucy face off against a dark mage alone, perhaps an S-class candidate, if I had to guess, but she also fought against Erigor the Grim Reaper without backup or her gate keys. I was quite impressed with your choice." The redhead obviously wasn't paying attention to the deathly tight grip the alabaster haired woman was holding Lucy with, tears welling in her eyes and spilling down her cheek, nor the slight horror and awe circulating through the crowd. "In fact, she even managed to store an Etherious demon in her pocket dimension for quite a while."

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a tad?" Lucy squeaked out, looking around pleadingly. "Really, I didn't fight anyone. I just did a spell here and there, nothing too serious. It couldn't compare to how amazing you were, or even Natsu and Gray. I mean, Happy faces off against Erigor, too!"

"Aye, but that's expected of us," Happy argued. "Besides, Erigor was really mean to you. He even broke your arm and then threw you around later."

"He _what_?" Natsu snarled, the raven haired ice mage taking a wise step back and cursing everyone on their makeshift team- except maybe Lucy, seeing as she was trying to calm them down.

"He just pushed me through the barrier!"

"Damn," a dainty voice hummed out, Levy skipping over and beamin up at Lucy. "When your arm gets better, we are definitely going to go on a job together. You sound like a great teammate." Wild lapis waves framed her beaming face as she stuck her hand out towards Lucy, and the blonde managed to free her right hand even as Mirajane's grip on her waist tightened. "What do you say, Lu? Wanna go on a job with me?"

"I'd love that, Lev!" The girls clasped hands for only a moment before Mirajane was sobbing again, one hand coming up to smoothen golden hair. "Mira, I promise you, I'm alright. Honestly. It's just a broken arm and some magic depletion. Give me a week and I'll be good as new."

"Those are some high standards you're setting, Lu. Even us mages need at least a month to heal broken bones," Levy teased lightly, and the blonde quickly determined that they would become quick friends. Anyone who could act so casually towards her when she swore up and down she was fine would make a great friend, and she knew that the bluenette had a thing for books that certainly helped her case.

"Give me a week and see the results yourself."

"Great, ya got a week, now ya gotta go get some sleep, Luce," Natsu gritted out, beyond upset that she was being crowded around and squashed. "Ya said ya'd pick up your shit and go sleep. Talkin' was nowhere in the deal. Haps, go grab her stuff." The cat gave a nod and followed Mirajane, who had reluctantly released the blonde and passed her to the irritable roset, towards the bar where he was handed a paper bag. Without another word, the celestial mage found herself once more swept into unnaturally warm arms, and the guild stared after the trio with wide eyes and opened mouths.

"I can walk on my own," the fair haired woman protested around a yawn.

"Yeah, 'nd that worked so well before," he shot back.

"I don't see why everyone is so surprised," Erza said in a firm voice. "He is very protective of those he holds dear, and it is quite obvious that Lucy falls under that category. I am willing to place a bet that we won't see much of Natsu until Lucy is once more at the guild." All eyes seemed to turn towards the hickory haired woman at the bar, already flicking through her tarot cards.

"I would place my bets with Erza," she hummed out, a small slur to her fruity voice. As one, the guild decided that it was not a bet they were willing to put their money on, and they returned back to their individual activities.

* * *

Natsu had completely bypassed Lucy's apartment, refusing to leave her in the middle of town, even if she did let him stay with her. Sure, he reasoned as he trudged through the layers of foliage leading up to his house with Happy on his shoulder and Lucy sleeping in his arms, his house wears a bit of a mess and he didn't have a proper bed or anything, but he was there and it was hidden. "Lucy might not like this, ya know," Happy chimed out from his shoulder, sprouting his wings and flying to open the door.

"I know, but she'll be safer here," he told the feline decisively. "I'll look for food when she's settled in."

"Mira put some soup in the bag, too, so I can always go get food from the guild if you need," Happy offered, watching the dragon slayer as he scouted their house for the proper place to put the blonde. He finally settled with the couch, using his foot to knock off a plastic cup and a bundle of napkins, and Happy gave a small sigh before gathering a few blankets and laying one out over the stained cotton. "She won't like sleeping on stains." Natsu nodded, carefully laying the blonde out and fussing over her positioning for a while- the cat thought he would have a heart attack when she rolled over in her sleep and whimpered at the feeling of her cast digging into her ribs. After that, he began piling blankets on top of her, far too many for even a mage. "Natsu, she'll overheat."

"But Happy," he whined pitifully. "What if I don't put enough and she gets cold? What if she eats hypothermal?"

"Hypothermia," the blonde groaned out, batting off a few layers of blankets. "Natsu, it's the middle of summer, I'm not going to freeze to death." He let out another whine, unhappy that she was awake, and she began to sit up with a grimace. "I'll be fine, really. I'm just hungry and in desperate need of water."

"Water," he stated firmly, nodding before rushing off towards where she remembered the kitchen to be. A small giggle escaped her lips before she could really think about it- he looked like some puppy trying to be a guard dog and it was _adorable_ \- though she allowed them to fade away when Happy landed on her torso with a serious look on his face.

"Lucy, could I tell you something?" He hardly waited for her nod before continuing on, anxiously kneading his paws against the blankets. "Well, you see before you came along, it was just me and Natsu." He paused, words catching in his throat as he tried to properly articulate his feelings and a proper apology for them. "Just Natsu and me." Understanding crossed her face as she began combing his silken fur, pulling him closer to her face and smiling softly towards him.

"Don't worry, Happy," she cooed out. "If my presence makes either of you uncomfortable, I could leave. I would understand."

"No!" the cat cried out suddenly, both pausing their conversation when a rosy head popped out of the kitchen like some doting mother. "That's not what I meant. It's just, I feel bad for how I've been acting, 'cause it's not your fault that Natsu likes you- I mean, _I_ like you, too, it's just-"

"I know," she said, a soft smile on her face. "Really, you don't have to explain. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable though, so just tell me, and I'll hang back." Happy was beginning to get frustrated with her warped understanding, as well as his inability to explain properly.

"That's not it either. I just wanna be good friends with you." He wasn't exactly yelling, but his voice was firm and left Lucy with no other ways to try and wiggle herself out of their team- she felt truly _dreadful_ for her failure in the last job they had taken, and she was clearly not cut out of the same material of the mages around her. "I want to get close to you, 'cause I know you're a good person, but we haven't spent much time together. Do you wanna be friends?"

A single glance at his uncertain beady eyes left her hopeless, nodding and throwing her right arm around his little body just as Natsu broke out of the kitchen, a piping hot bowl of soup and a rather large glass of water balanced on a sheet of some tree or another- it looked almost like a cutting board, though the ring was surrounded by bark. "I just heated up some a' Mira's soup, and there's water." He placed it on her lap, propping her up with his own shoulder and demanding to feed her despite the fact that her right hand was perfectly fine.

For the first time since the blonde had entered their life, Happy felt content to just sit back and watch the dragon slayer pour broth and vegetables down her throat as she struggled to get her arguments in without allowing the scalding spoon into her mouth- because _damn it, Natsu, she wasn't immune to heat_.

* * *

It had been two days, two long days of sitting around with the urge to just get up and walk around, the need to kick off her growing pile of blankets and scream in frustration when her self appointed nanny once more jumped on her and began swaddling her. Her magic had finally replenished, leaving her waiting for Natsu to go heat up her next meal so he couldn't stop her healing process. She only had to wait a few moments, Happy coming in through the door and instantly collapsing on her lap into a dead sleep, having flown all the way from their obscure cottage to the guild hall hand back for the pasta Mirajane had promised- after tasting Natsu's attempt at curry that was both too burnt and too raw to be edible and Lucy's broken arm, they decided to live off of the barmaid's charity.

He disappeared into the kitchen the moment he had the knapsack, and Lucy moved slowly so as not to awaken the feline in her lap. Gathering every bit of magic in her fingertips, she pressed her fingers to her arm, squeezing them into the cast as far as they would go, and whispered, _"Naosu."_ In an instant, every drop of magic she had was drained into the mending of her bone, leaving her fall backwards limply in a dead faint, which Natsu walked into moments later with steaming food in his hands.

"Hey, Luce," he chirped out cheerfully, anxiety clawing up his throat when she didn't even stir. "Luce?" He dropped the bowls on the coffee table the celestial mage had demanded they clear off and set up, rushing over and cupping her face in between desperate hands, shaking her softly and rousing even the cat. "Luce! Get up!" He began to shake her shoulders, her head whipping around violently, and his own heart began hammering in his chest, pulse drowning out Happy's anxious whimpers. "Luce, please!" He flattened his hand against her chest, feeling the steady drumming, and allowed himself to calm down a little bit, because at least she was still alive.

"I'm sure Lucy was just real tired," the cat tried to say, but his voice was shaking. "Let's wait for her to wake up. We'll eat then." Without another word, the feline watched the roset crawl behind the unconscious blonde and hug her close, occasionally smoothing over her golden hair, before he curled up in her lap and stared up at her face with deep set worry.

* * *

 _ **Hey guys! I'm kinda back! I'm so so so so sorry for the long wait, life's just been crazy this past week and I've had writer's block and I just got this chapter finished. I was going to make it super long and whatnot, but then I remembered that I had to do Erza's** **imprisonment** **before moving on to my first original (suggested) job! It'll be two chapters, and hopefully part two will be out quicker than part one was. So, I was thinking for that spell book thing, to write little one shots of backstories and whatnot and put them after the initial spell page and the application page and whatnot. Do you guys like the idea? Who do you want to see first?**_

 _ **Bibliophilia13 , thank you for understanding. I hate writing chapters that I don't feel good about, even if they are necessary. It's nice that there are people out there to support it.**_

 _Naru285 **, thank you so much! I can't wait for Lucy and Makarov to get closer. And she really does deserve it. I hope this chapter kind of lived up to something you were expecting with the hoard scene- the next chapter will be more detailed and have more** **interactions** **and stuff, I just needed to get something out since it's been over a week. Yes, Fairy Tail will be so protective of Lucy. Honestly, someone find a job where Romeo sneaks onto it so he can try to protect Lucy, cause I live for little Romeo trying to overcome his fears to protect Lucy because "Natsu-nii would be mad if Lucy got hurt". He's so cute. I'm excited, too!**_

 _Littlest1 **, you are the absolute best! I'm definitely going to have damage control Lucy be a thing, because that's her rent money and until Natsu starts pitching in to keep her apartment, he can't destroy towns. Makarov is an easy person to have be intuitive to doubts and stuff, which is why I love that he's the guild master. He's like someone that you don't have to include constantly, or always make serious, but including him in serious scenes isn't really out of character. I'm going to have Lucy be more compliant towards Natsu's hoarding when she figures out and whatever, and when she's actually hurt or sick she won't fight as much, but when she's healthy and doesn't want to put up with his shit, he usually ends up sulking a few feet behind her in the guild hall. I feel like Zeref will have mixed emotions towards Lucy, for her resemblance to Anna and the** **attachment** **to his little brother that he never got, but also her determination to keep him safe and her refusal to bow down all the time. I love Zeref though, so like, y'all can get me on a whole ass rant about him if you want. And keep an eye out for your job.**_

 _Guest **, okay, I know you just said aww, but the fact that you took time out of your day to review makes me happy, you adorable** **marshmallow** **. That goes for everyone, just goodness bless you.**_

 _ **19vanelkc , heck yeah you are. And are the hoarding scenes good enough for your liking? I don't know how I feel about them, honestly. **_

_**, you're so adorable, I love you. It's important to take care of yourself even with other people depending on you, but so many people forget to do it and I definitely have done it, so I just hope you're taking care of yourself. Thank you so much for reviewing. You're amazing!**_

 _ **Guest , job noted, and it will definitely be up soon. I might put it a bit after Gajeel joins the guild and make him go with them, if that's alright with you, since it's not a big fighting thing and I've got plans for him. **_

_**Daises1005118 , thank you so much! I've been trying to write this for like a year, so it's been brewing. I hope this lives up to the story's standards in everyone's eyes.**_

 _ **Shannon Rei D. Sumner** **, you're amazing! I'm so happy that this is so highly regarded by you! You're so precious, oh my goodness! It makes me so happy to hear that you read the entire thing, because I've noticed that a lot of people don't read past chapter one, so it makes me happy to hear that you liked it enough to read all at once! Galuna will be right after I do hoarding Natsu/Levy and Lucy's first mission, and I'm so ready for that!**_

 _Latinagirl-reader2010 **, oh my goodness, thank you! More Nalu scenes coming right up! Natsu is going to be close with the Strauss family, the Conbolt family, and Gildarts, though as Lucy opens him up and Lisanna comes back, he'll open up more to the rest of his guild, too. Natsu and Gray are going to be frenemies, willing to come to each other's aid but definitely** **preferring** **fighting each other over getting along. Natsu won't be as easily scared by Erza as in cannon, but that's where more confident/damage control Lucy comes in. Lucy will definitely be jealous/insecure with Lisanna coming back to life, but I'm going to have Gajeel- maybe Wendy and Evergreen- will definitely help her work through it. It will bring Lucy and Lisanna closer- because if I include Evergreen, Lisanna will beg Lucy to help set her up with Bickslow when she starts crushing. Of course fluffy Nalu comfort scenes will take place! Wait for the Eclipse/GMG arc for the big hit of them. Natsu will definitely become more possessive, maybe more feral/** **instinctual** **, as the story continues! Love the animalistic side of him. You're an amazing reviewer! Thank you for your feedback!**_

 _ **AzmariaMinohi , you're so cute! You reviewed twice and I think I actually cried. I wanted to blend the changes, and I'm glad it doesn't seem like I'm just copying the manga word for word- that's what I'm afraid of. And I'm not too descriptive, like where you're all "Dear heavens, can this girl just get to the point already"? Another fear of mine. Thank you so much! Your words have done it justice for me.**_

 _ **Remember, give me job suggestions, tell me whose background stories you want to see first, and keep enjoying the story!**_

 _ **Thank you all, lovelies!**_


	17. Chapter seventeen

**Chapter seventeen**

Natsu woke up to something squirming against him, slowly rousing and becoming more aware of the panicked breaths puffing against his collarbone. "Lucy," Happy slurred sleepily, tail flicking comfortingly against her jawline. Despite how well it had worked over the past few hours- he felt nervous to leave her so unguarded, so he had stayed awake- this time, her thrashing only increased as a shrill whine filled the air.

"Luce?" the dragon slayer whimpered out, running his nose against her cheek. Her eyes popped open and she gave out a little scream, shoving at the roset and trying to put some distance between them, though the thought of just letting her drop onto the floor made him wrinkle his nose in distaste and he pulled her closer. "Luce, you're m'kay. I got ya." Her struggles slowly let up, sobs tearing out of her throat and leaving her gasping as she curled her arms around his chest, pressing her face into his shoulder.

She could still see Erigor's twisted smile when he had Happy in his arms, the malicious intent in his eyes when he threatened her life time and time again, though that hadn't been what bothered her. It was when silver hair became mustard colored, black eyes a striking peanut color, that her terror began to grow. "I'm alright," she croaked back, voice hoarse and breathy. Her adrenaline was fading, leaving her with cold sweat and fatigue, but she relished in the feeling of her heartbeat becoming a steady tempo once more. "I'm alright." She pressed her face further into his shoulder, unwilling to look up and see the disappointment in Natsu's face- her arm felt fine, after all, but she still had the cast that she had smacked him around with. "Are you alright? And Happy?" She refused to even peek at him, though he rested his chin lightly against the crown of her head and glanced down to where the feline had taken refuge on his hip.

"Yeah," he said lowly. "We're both good." He moved a hand slowly, stroking her hair as soothingly as he could manage- he enjoyed it, so she should too, right?- and glanced towards the window, the sunrise making a beautiful array of colors bleed through the trees surrounding his cottage. "Wanna talk 'bout it?" She shook her head, goosebumps flaring over the dragon slayer's skin when her icy tipped nose brushed against his collarbone, and he frowned lightly. "Ya cold? Your nose's freezin'."

"I'm fine," she mumbled back, though her voice sounded oddly detached, indifferent almost. He pulled her back slightly, cocking his head when she refused to meet his eye, before pressing his own forehead against hers.

"Ya hungry?" he asked when shocked eyes flickered to his own, keeping his face pressed against her own as if she would look away once he put space in between them. "Mira made pasta." She gave a hesitant nod, Happy hopping over and grabbing the bowls from the table to hand them to the dragon slayer. He kept his arms around the blonde, a bowl in each hand, and increased his body temperature until the pasta began to steam.

"I want to go get my cast removed soon," Lucy blurted out suddenly, quick to grab the porcelain Natsu nearly dropped in his shock despite the sting it created on her tender palm and fingers. For a quick moment, both Natsu and Happy were impressed by her ability to catch both of the scalding bowls when one of her hands was casted up to her fingers- they had both been prepared to just shrug off the loss and find some more food- though the dragon slayer was quick to move the bowels onto an unoccupied couch cushion and inspect the celestial mage's crimson hands. "Natsu, I'm fine, honestly. I just want to go get my cast off."

"Luce, ya have 'a broken arm, ya need your cast," he scolded lightly, trying not to dwell on the fact that her skin was tinted red because he had made her believe she had to touch the bowls. "'Sides, ya seem ta have magic depletion that comes back over an' over again."

"That's why my arm is healed," she argued, knocking against the plaster a couple times. The roset quickly snatched away her casted arm, curling protectively around it and sending her a weak pout. "Natsu, it was a spell, I healed my own arm. It just takes a lot of magic, so-"

"Ya drained your own magic on purpose?" He looked almost panicked by the news, though she couldn't really fathom why.

"Yeah. I've done it a couple times before, especially this past year," she hummed out, sliding her hand out of his grasp and reaching towards the food- she was hungry, she could eat and explain at the same time. When he caught her wrist, eyeing the minor burn warily, she rolled her eyes and tried to grab the fork with her casted hand. "Natsu, I'm fine, really. I just want to eat and go get my cast off. If my hand bothers you that much, I'll put some healing salve on it."

"Luce," he whined out pitifully, cradling both of her hands to his chest and shooting her a pair of pleading eyes. "Don't it hurt? Why'dya wanna grab the hot bowl 'gain?"

"It doesn't hurt much," she assured him softly. "Besides, it'll heal more quickly than a cut. Come on, let's eat and then you can go see how great this spell is for yourself, okay? We'll go get the cast off and I'll come back and stay with you until you're sure my arm is healed, okay?" He wanted to protest instantly- there was no way he was going to let her go unsupervised and injured- but the idea of her willingly staying with him for a time that _he_ could determine had him giving a small hum of approval before he could really stop himself. She let out a beaming smile and snatched up the scalding bowl, scarfing down the food as quickly as she could.

* * *

"Even with Eisenwald having gone under," a booming voice rang out quickly, stopping the idle shuffling of papers and irritable grumblings, "the main problem hasn't been solved yet. There are still a lot of illegal guilds out there, all over Ishgar." All eyes were on Org, the rather irritable man glaring through his squinted eyes, and it took quite a few minutes for anyone to speak up against him.

"Then we should just uproot them altogether," a frail old man, Yajima, shot back, reading over the handwriting that was _supposed_ to be Makarov's- they were old friends, and Yajima just _knew_ the guild master had made some poor mage write up his report again.

"How?" Belno, the elder of the two council women, bit out dangerously sharp, though the old man took no offense to her snippy tone.

"It's unbelievable that anyone who try to bring Zeref's magic to life again," Org hissed out once more, fingers tight around the box holding Lullaby, iridescent runes- written by Fairy Tail's own rune mage- glimmering around the lacrima and the cloth wrappings. "Anyone who would do such a thing is intolerable."

"Well, first of all, how could they have snuck out such strong magic with that much ease?" Gran Doma, the chairman, hummed out, always the voice of reason amongst the irrational group.

"We might have to call the management and make them take responsibility," Yuri hurried out, fearful of any retribution that could fall on their shoulders should the blame fall on them.

"But, Fairy Tail, the one guild we've been so annoyed with, showed up and saved the day," Siegrain argued calmly, several glares falling onto him, and Ultear nodded daintily from beside him, giggling into the single sleeve of her robes.

"They took down an entire guild with Lullaby, and only four of five of their members were even there. I can understand why you don't want to admit the truth, but that's how it is," she purred out smoothly.

"If the guild masters were killed by the Lullaby," the bluenet continued after a moment of grumblings, "things would have been much worse. Some of us here would have _certainly_ been fired. You old geezers should just show them some appreciation and stop complaining."

"Don't be silly! Are you really gonna bring up the matter of responsibility here?"

"That's out of the question! We're already tearing out hair out over their reckless behavior!"

* * *

"Well, Lucy-san, it looks like you've made quite the speedy recovery," the doctor choked out around his shock, the lacrima showing her mended bone clear as day less than a week after the initial injury. "I suppose you'll be wanting your cast off now."

"Yes, please," the blonde chirped out, amused by the completely flabbergasted look on the dragon slayer's face.

"Now remember, the bone may still be tender and your muscles will need some time to relax and heal, so take it easy for a while. I would recommend a few days away from missions and a least a month before any solo missions, alright?" He shouldered his way kindly past Natsu, who was still hung up over the fact that Lucy had successfully healed herself, and began cutting the cast away from the celestial mage's rather ripe arm, the mage wrinkling her nose in distaste towards it.

"That spell really worked," Happy whispered rather terribly towards Natsu, the roset nodding dumbly as the blonde showed off her newly freed arm, a few shades paler than her usual skin tone. "We should learn it."

"No," the blonde said firmly, topaz eyes flicking heatedly towards the pair. "It's difficult, even for Encan spells, and one wrong move can leave you worse than before. I've had to study anatomy for several years to get the spell to where it is now. You two just deal with your injuries and leave the fatal ones to me." It was weird to see her with such a serious expression, the pair nodding dumbly as the doctor eyed them warily- Fairy Tail mages weren't known for taking challenges like that sitting down, and he liked his room the way it was. "If you could throw that away for me, we'll be on our way."

Natsu shot Happy a pleading look as the cast thumped down into the trashcan, the natural urge to have eating him up inside, and the cat began grumbling about _'the things he does'_ and _'nasty dragons'_ while inconspicuously unlocking the window with a flick of his tail. "Let's stop by the guild an' grab some more food. I'll pay," the roset hummed out.

" _Then_ , we can get you some groceries and I'll teach you how to cook," the blonde tacked on, already following the doctor into the hallway to pay for the ridiculously priced visit. Happy gave him a curt nod and grabbed the cast before booking it back to their house, his nose wrinkled and his eye ticking in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Natsu was trying not to commit a crime as the ridiculously high price came into light, horrified by how easily the blonde seemed to fork over _thousands of jewels_ , and nearly snarled at the smile the receptionist held as Lucy dragged him away. "Luce, ya just gave 'em a fortune to cut off your cast! Even _ice dick_ coulda done that!" he snarled in outrage, shooting a withering glare towards the woman behind the counter.

"I gave them the money it took to fund their salaries, and cover the cost of the x-ray," she argued gently, though even she had to admit that the price was steep and even her emergency savings was more than a little empty. "Besides, we can go on jobs again now that my arm is healed."

"No way," he shot back, a fearful lilt to his voice. "Ya jus' barely got your cast off. Ya ain't ready to go on a job yet, 'specially not high payin' ones. Ya agreed ta stay with me for however long I wanted, remember?" She playfully rolled her eyes, knocking her temple against his shoulder and nodding with a placating smile.

"You're right." She nearly purred- or, she would have if it had been physically possible- at the feeling of the sun beating down on her, warming her pale skin and leaving her feeling at ease.

* * *

When Lucy had declared that it would only take her a week for her broken arm to heal, there was reasonable skepticism. When she showed up to the guild six days later, arm free of its plaster confines, the guild was in complete shock- so much so that it was dead silent in the building for long enough to worry Makarov, who finally left his office. "Lu, how in the name of Hachiman did you heal so quickly?" Levy choked out first, breaking the thick silence and making the blonde blush and hide her pale, freshly healed, arm.

" _Naosu_. It really wasn't as big of a deal as everyone is making it," she squeaked out, leading the roset towards the bar.

"You can use _naosu_?" the bluenette shrieked out, jumping off of the bench and startling several people enough that a couple fell out of their own seats. "That takes _years_ , and if you get anything wrong, you could either kill or deform yourself!"

"Ya could'ave _died_?" the dragonslayer shrieked out, rounding on the blonde and making her shrink back slightly.

"Only the first few times. I mastered it _years_ ago."

"Lucy!" Mirajane came out of the kitchen just in time to stop the oncoming interrogation, the barmaid having made the room soundproof nearly two years ago after having to restrain the urge to chuck knives out of the windows during a fight. "Oh, thank Aradia, you're safe." Slender arms were thrown around her neck, pulling her into a comforting hug, and she ignored the faint snarls coming from behind the blonde. "Are you hungry? Does your arm still hurt? Do you need anything?"

"Could I get some food?" she asked meekly as a the guild began to chatter again, only a handful of mages still lingering around the standing trio.

"Of course! What would you like?" Mirajane hummed out, guiding the blonde towards the bar. Natsu was a step behind, Happy curled around his neck and huffing out in dramatic exhaustion, and Levy followed a few paces back, intent on demanding the blonde teach her the healing spell.

"Could I have the soup you made a few days ago? It was very good." The ivorette beamed and began to cheer out affirmations before skipping off towards the kitchen, hardly catching Natsu's request for his usual before ducking into the sound barrier, and he roset was once more hovering over her shoulder, though she didn't seem to notice until she sat down and he chose to stand behind her as opposed to sitting on either of the free seats beside her. "What's the matter, Natsu?"

"Ya really used a spell knowin' it coulda killed ya?" he blurted out without a moment to spare, as if he had been waiting in bated breaths for her to ask.

"Natsu," she breathed out soothingly, smoothing a hand against his arm, "I've been an independent mage for over a year. I've always had little to no money, and doctors weren't possible most of the time, so yes, I took a dangerous chance on a healing spell, but I understand it now and there's really no risk anymore. I should have told you beforehand, and I will next time, but just trust me, okay?" He went silent for a moment before nodding with a pout and pulling one of the stools closer to the blonde, where the dragon slayer promptly plopped onto and began watching the kitchen for any signs of food.

"An independent mage?" Levy asked, startling the celestial mage. "That's tough. What made you suddenly decide to be a working mage?" Lucy paused for a minute, dark thoughts shadowing her mind before she managed to shake them away and offer over a tight smile.

"Family troubles," she answered tensely, her keys practically radiating amusement at her vague answer. "It wasn't all that hard, for the most part. A couple of close calls here and there, but nothing unmanageable."

"Close calls?" the parakeet haired teenager, Bisca, called from down the bar, drawing attention to both her and her ebony haired partner, Alzack- as well as the meter gap between them. "Like what?"

Thinking over the past year, she got a nostalgic tint to her features and smiled slightly. "Well, my first job, I nearly drowned because someone thought the only way I could defend a gala from a petty thief was to be a guest, and I got shoved into the ocean in a ball gown. And then, a couple months later, I got shot in the shoulder and had to heal myself. That was the only time the Celestial Spirit King allowed Aquarius to stay in Earthland to guard me since I was living on the street and slept for nearly three days afterward."

"You lived on the street?" Happy whimpered out softly, horror dotting his features at the _thought_ of their blonde friend curled up in some musky alley.

"Happy, I was living on the street when you found me. Sure, I had money for rooms here and there, but I was ultimately homeless," she explained gently, watching as horror covered the feline's features before he dove into her chest for a hug. He felt so guilty at the thought of having disliked her so much _just_ because he was being selfish over Natsu's affections when Lucy had just been happy to have been accepted, let alone treasured, with a roof over her head.

"Lucy! I'm so sorry! You can live with us forever!"

"Happy," the blonde argued half heartedly, "I'm already renting an apartment."

* * *

 _ **Okay, so first of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait, which really is ridiculous so I'm soo so sorry like y'all don't even understand. I've felt so bad, and this is a really short, shitty chapter to come back with, but it's been like a month and I just need to start the next chapter soon. That being said, y'all are amazing and I can't believe that this story has one hundred and thirty six reviews, which is insane like I didn't realize I had writing that people enjoyed this much! That being said, I'mma just answer your comments and questions and let everyone hate on my terrible updates.**_

 _ **19vanelkc**_ _ **, I'm so glad you like the hoard scenes. They honestly aren't with me right now, as you can see, but I'll go back to hoarding after Erza's arrest. And just you wait for the panic of finding out he actually likes her. It's going to be such a back and forth between fear of ruining what they have and possessive hoarding/mating instincts and it's gonna be the best. I'm afraid Natsu won't be cooking well at first, but he and Lucy will definitely have some cooking time in which Natsu freaks out about everything until he starts learning how to do it and kicks her out of the kitchen, so he will cook eventually. The messy house in my opinion is, a) to ward off people looking for his hoard, and b) because he's never there and it will help disguise what's important to him and random stuff, though anyone with even the slightest understanding of Natsu can see what he treats better. Thank you so much for sticking with me through it all!**_

 _ **, I don't know when I'll have Lucy fall in love, but y'all hopefully won't be able to see a definitive line until I make her notice. I'm eager for it too, honey. You don't even know the sick shit I have planned for their relationship because Natsu's all instincts and Lucy trusts him completely. The healing spell will definitely be useful in further chapters, mainly Phantom and Nirvana so far.**_

 ** _Guest , you're so sweet, oh my lord. Thank you for reviewing and enjoying the story!_**

 ** _Therashae , you already know Lucy will be a huge damage control later in the story, and she'll definitely make it up to both Natsu and Happy for scaring them. _**

**_Flamelily274 , thank you so much for the story idea! Since you put dragon slayers, do you want it after the Nirvana arc so Wendy is there? Or do you just mean Natsu and Gajeel? Also, is there anyone else (Mirajane, Lucy, Levy, etc.) you want included in Team Dragon? Sadly, Laxus will definitely be doing the battle of Fairy Tail, and I will explain it later since he does have some draconic instincts. _**

**_Littlest1 , you're so sweet! I think that, as stronger mages, both Erza and Makarov are used to seeing younger, less powerful, mages with such high egos that seeing Lucy with self doubt and uncertainty in her own powerful magic makes them want to change her view. I like to think, also, that outside of Lucy just reminding her of Lisanna, Lucy reminds Mira of herself, because they've both fought for survival and come out with smiles and caring natures. Lucy is definitely going with Erza to the Council and going lawyer mode on them! Levy and Cana are going to play big roles in Lucy's life, because the three of them are relatively similar. I'll be waiting for that rant._**

 ** _Naru285 , I'm glad you liked the hoard scene! I honestly hate that I had such good ideas for them before, and then they disappeared when I started writing, so now I'm just kinda hating them. On top of Mira seeing Lisanna in Lucy (the selfless nature, the kind demeanor, closeness to Natsu, etc.) she sees herself in Lucy (the struggles to survive, the pain of losing someone close, the maturity of being responsible before she should have been, the practiced smile that no one can see through, the loyalty and kindness that can easily be taken advantage of, etc.) and so, she's treating Lucy not only how she would treat Lisanna, but how she would treat her younger self. I love Mirajane, don't even get me started on it._**

 ** _Artistofthemind , relatable, honestly. You're so cute and nice, ah! If you want to see anything, since you wait for my updates, just let me know, and I'll slip something in!_**

 _Guest **, you're so sweet! I hated how the cannon was constantly "I love my friends equally", "I have no depth to my emotions and wear my heart on my sleeve", "I suffer no traumas", etc. which is why I wrote this story, honestly. I just wanted to get it out there that suffering traumas are okay, no matter if it's something someone would consider small or something that ripped your world apart and everyone around you noticed, or whatever. I figured with the dragon slayers, they would be more predatory and instinctual because they were raised by actual dragons, yaknow? And I honestly feel like I'm rushing through the story, so thanks.**_

 _ **Guest** **, Happy's going to be a lot different than he was in the cannon. He'll grow up quickly while living up to his name.**_

 _ **PrettyPansexual , who from the Thunder God tribe do you want going? Like Laxus and everyone? Or just Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed. Depending on that, I'll see where I put up your job. Thanks for the idea, though!**_

 _ **Bookgirl18 , thank you so much! I'm trying to go through and find all the typos, weird phrasing, etc. but I honestly have no motivation to do anything.**_

 _ **Mumof4 _, ah, you're so cute! Oh my goodness, I never thought that I'd be one of those stories! Thank you so much! I pride myself in the thought that went into their backstories and personalities, not that I can really explain them of course, because who can ever sort through their chaotic mind. I'm so excited to show everyone Lucy's full past!_**_

 _ **Fire King** **, thank you so much! Of course, I'll put more Nalu fluff, just need to get them together though. There will be kinda flirty fluff up until they realize they wanna date, then stuff will get real.**_

 _ **Zerocchi , sorry honey, I'll update more quickly if I can. Welcome to the loving hoarder!Natsu club! I think everyone should join, honestly. It's great.**_

 _ **Nalu4ever _, just you wait for when Juvia comes along and gets all close to Gray. But Happy is one of my favorite altercations, really (I love every altercation in characters, so it's hard to say a definite favorite). In the cannon, he's just a shallow kind of happy that's never explained, and he doesn't have depths to his feelings. I'm glad that I made them realistic enough to create emotions!_**_

 _ **CathJorda** **, you're the first person to realize (and comment on) the fact that I'm using real languages for the other languages! Congratulations! I have a master list on my phone that I can add to my little guide for this story if you think I should. And thank you for loving my story!**_

 _MnMAllyn **, thank you so much! I kind of pride this story on the explained/layered feelings. I can't even begin to imagine the tears I'll shed writing about breaking the key. I cry every time I think about it and it's been like 2 years. Adding other feelings and having to live through it to write it will break me, I guarantee it. I can't wait for Lisanna either, because she's been through a lot and deserves some love. For Laxus, as much as I love him, I'm going to make him an asshole and explain it. I don't think I'll take it as far as he did, but I'll definitely need him to act out. I kind of want to exile him, but I also kind of want to make Makarov declare someone babysit him when he goes out on jobs and have like Natsu and Lucy or Erza breathing down his neck about everything. I already have high expectations for Lucy and Gajeel's relationship, especially the year away from Fairy Tail. One or two people know about how fucked up I'm going to make Lucy's life. It's really bad. I still think I'll make Lucy realize her feelings for Natsu first, and have like Gajeel and Laxus overhear and whisper about it with Gray and then they all just beat Natsu up for no reason in his eyes until Lucy starts scolding them and just it'll be cute. I'll do a few lemons if that's what you want. I haven't written any so far, though, so I don't know how good they'll be.**_

 _ **VizorRapt , here's the next chapter! This story is my life, too, but my brother came to visit and school and everything got so crazy for a while. I'll get back on track though, I swear!**_

 _ **Guest , wait for Lisanna to come in. She's going to help Natsu realize how much he loves Lucy and then, when he refuses to tell her, she'll start being really sweet and flirty towards Lucy and both Natsu and Bickslow will get jealous, and Lucy will go along with it because Lisanna is going to tell her it's to get Bickslow's attentions. I can't wait for their girl nights either! The entire Fairy Tail Girl population!**_

 _ **FriendlyAnon** **, thank you so much! It's a lot of fun to write when I get in the jist of it.**_

 _Latinagirl-reader2010 **, girl, me too. I will be creating new arcs with the help of my reviewers, so it'll all be good, I swear. The dragon slayers will all be closer, in their own ways, because they're more instinctual and dragons are social creatures, so the dragon slayers will instinctively seek out a nest in each other and their friends. Team Natsu will be closer for sure.**_

 _ **Guest , me too!**_

 _ **LoveroftheWord , thank you so much! I never could have imagined that my story was one of those addicting ones. It's great to see people enjoying it! Thank you so so so much!**_

 _ **Slvr0107 , you're all good! And I can't believe you enjoy this so much you reread it! You're amazing! Natsu and Wendy will definitely fight for Lucy's attention and bask in it and their victories, so don't you even worry about that. I'll also have Wendy deviously sneak Lucy into doing her hair more than playing with Natsu's, going to Fairy Hills to teach her how to cook, clean, sew, etc. even though she already knows how to do most of it, and it'll be great. Since you like Nali, I feel inclined to tell you that I've been writing a siren au oneshot that features Nali and I might post it just for you. **_

_**Guest , I'm trying to do at least once a week for my update schedule, but sometimes a month flies by and I haven't written more than two thousand words and chapters like this happen. **_

_**EAsis , thank you so much!**_

 _ **Alydragneel ,you're too cute! I'm just trying to do good by what I look for, which is really hard since I hate everything I write, so I'm glad you enjoy it so much! I can't wait for Cobra to come in and turn into a good guy. I love him so much! And Laxus could be a dick to me any day and I'd accept it. Thank you so much on all of your compliments. You got me to finish this chapter honestly, so thank you. It sucks, but it's done. Gajeel and Lucy will have the best relationship after Phantom, and she'll come to him for like relationship advice all the time when she gets with Natsu and he'll end up just telling her about sex with this wolfish grin until her and Natsu have sex, then when she starts actually listening, he storms into Fairy Tail and pumbles Natsu for having sex with Lucy and then Levy comes flying in and demands that her and Lucy go on a job alone unless they can work together and it'll be cute. Also, Juvia is like the love of my life. I can't wait for her and her in depth character and her love for Gray and then their relationship ah! I love your ideas, so keep 'em comin' girl!**_

 _ **AlchemistLyn , thank you! It's beyond just thinking of Lucy as treasure, to Natsu, she's an irreplaceable part of his life, and the longer the story goes on, the more deeply integrated she becomes and the less likely he is to let her go. It's gonna be so cute. **_

_**Thank you all so much! You're all precious and amazing for sticking through my terrible update schedule. I've been so into the idea of a Hogwarts Au or a Zombie Au and honestly, my mind is jumbled, so thanks for sticking through. Also, the promised ENDxLucy fic is underway, so don't worry about that! Is there anything else anyone wants to see? Let me know! And thanks for sticking with me!**_

 _ **See ya later, lovelies!**_


	18. Chapter eighteen

**Chapter eighteen**

She was still getting used to Natsu's cottage, which she supposed was true for him as well considering she was making them go through every room to deep clean and organize it so that they both were happy, but she had to admit that the bathroom was her favorite room so far. It was smaller than the one back at her apartment- a wash closet more than a bathroom- and yet the shower had water that ran hot and a marble bench in it to sit on and soak in the stream, so she felt more than content to lounge around until the water ran cold. So there she was, a laundry basket sitting on the chest in the corner and the fogged mirror wiped down well enough to see the reflection of herself, floral bra and underwear set exposing the chartreuse bruises still tainting her abdomen and arms. It hadn't taken very long for the entire nation to find out about Eisenwald terrorism attempt against the guild masters, and when Lucy had seen the newspaper sitting proudly on the bar the day before, she had anxiously flipped through each article, looking for any trace of her name, appearance, or magic description before relaxing and just taking in the fact that she was part of such a big incident. She became lost in thought, the idea of Erigor evading arrest sending shivers down her spine even as she pulled on a comfortable sweater and a pair of leggings, deciding that she would finally go grocery shopping and and teach Natsu how to cook to keep her mind from straying to the chilling dreams that still haunted her. The dragon slayer had been a good companion, respecting her privacy every time he had to soothe her awake and pulling her out of her silent self loathing by pressing their foreheads together and mumbling random things to her until she was grounded again. While she was beyond grateful, especially since he bought her a lunch and then inevitably ended up dragging her back to his cottage well into the night when she passed out on the way there, she couldn't get the idea that she was a burden out of her head. Trying to shake away the negative thoughts, she twisted her hair into a quick, damp braid and walked out of the bathroom and almost immediately ran into Natsu "You ready to go?" she chirped out.

"Go?" he asked, a lilt to childish curiosity to his voice as he cocked his head to the side. "Where're we goin'?"

"Grocery shopping. I promised to teach you how to cook, and we need food to cook before anything," she explained, shouldering her purse- Natsu refused to let her enchant either of her bags yet, so she was stuck carrying the weight of her money and communication lacrima. "It won't take very long."

* * *

She should have known that doing _anything_ in the city of Magnolia could never be considered short. They had barely stepped foot onto the market street, Natsu drooling over the smell of cooking food in some of the stands, when a strike of scarlet hair appeared and Erza crushed the blonde against her breastplate in a warm hug. "Lucy, it is wonderful to see you out and about without a cast on," she cooed out proudly, looking down on the blonde with fond eyes. "You will have to teach me how you managed to heal so quickly. It will do wonders in battles to come."

"Erza," the blonde rasped out, weakly patting her back as the redhead released her, "I'm afraid the spell is difficult, and you need to know the anatomy of what you're trying to heal without any uncertainty."

"They're making up words again," Happy whispered towards Natsu, who nodded dumbly as he curled his arms around the celestial mage's shoulders.

"I am well aware of the human anatomy. I have made it my personal goal to never kill, so I must know where every tendon, vital organ, and artery is so as not to unintentionally take a life," the redhead declared swiftly, though the lightened the mood by cracking a smile. "I am much too busy nowadays anyways. Perhaps you shall help me study anatomy before teaching me the spell. Of course, I wish to learn the bag enchantment as well. And what was that wind spell the Master was talking about the other day?" Hooking arms with the blonde, Lucy, Happy, and Natsu were forced to walk away from the market and back towards the Fairy Tail guild hall.

* * *

"Okay, okay! I'll go to this mysterious _book club_ this weekend," Lucy finally consented, exasperated but utterly content that everyone wanted to include her so much. Levy and Mirajane let out matching cheers, Bisca and a lavender haired wood mage named Laki laughing as the high fived, and Erza pulling the blonde in for her another painful hug. "What do I have to bring anyways?"

"Don't worry, Lu-chan, I'll come over and help you pack up for the book club," Levy assured her quickly. "It won't take long to get you all caught up either, since we only started a couple weeks ago anyways and some of us are slow learners." The entire group seemed to pin Laki with varying stares of either disappointment or frustration- all playful to some extent- and the purple haired girl rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"How long'll it take?" Natsu hummed out boredly, leaving heavily against the blonde and stealing some of her milkshake.

"No boys allowed. We'll be staying in Fairy Hills for the duration of the weekend-"

" _Weekend_?" the dragon slayer choked out. "Erza, there's no way-"

"That's enough," a adenoidal voice croaked out, the guildhall falling silent as the mages turned to see the newcomer. "Nobody move. I am a messenger from the council." A kaeru stood in the entryway to the building, narrowed eyes flickering about distrustfully as its padded fingertips clicked together noisily.

"A messenger from the council?" Mirajane whispered almost fearfully, well aware that Makarov was attempting to hide behind the bar.

"With charges of damaging property and eleven other crimes from the Eisenwald terrorism incident the other day, Erza Scarlet has now been placed under arrest." To the redhead's credit, she merely sat up a little straighter with a questioning look on her youthful face, the dragon slayer snarling slightly when the kaeru began waddling towards the bar, where the requip mage had been talking to Lucy.

"Does she get a lawyer?" the celestial mage asked quickly, standing quickly and taking a step forward with her slender eyebrows pulling together. "What trial will she face?"

"It will be a short trial," the messenger stated stoically, clasping a pair of anti magic handcuffs around the eighteen year old's wrists. "No lawyers are to be provided."

"I'll represent Erza," she argued quickly, earning choked sounds from the mages nearby, Happy even losing the little concentration needed for his magic and falling onto Natsu's head with a small yowl. "According to the third clause in section two, article five of ERA's written rules, in any case of trial, a lawyer may either be provided or selected from experienced acquaintances, and I have represented three cases thus far."

"Very well," the kaeru finally hummed out, masking its shock unlike the entirety of Fairy Tail. "You may accompany the prisoner to her trial as legal representation. However, should you lose the case, your legal experience shall be revoked. Should you win the trial, this case shall be added to your legal experience. You understand the conditions, correct?"

"Correct."

"Very well." The trio left the room, Lucy's bag sitting on the counter while Makarov fought to pin Natsu down.

"Natsu, if you disrupt the trial, you'll be putting Lucy's experience in danger!" Gray scolded quickly, attempting to ease ice up the S-class mage's body and give the master temporary reprieve from holding the scalding dragon slayer.

"She's in the council's damn hands! Fuck her 'xperience! She'll be in more danger than that!" he hissed out, only to have Mirajane come around and clasp his face tightly in her hands.

"She's with Erza. Erza's promised to protect her on multiple occasions," she soothed lightly. "Besides, Lucy's strong enough to defend herself against kaeru and thought projections, isn't she?"

"But what if that Eisenwald punk attacks 'em before they make it ta' the trial?" he whimpered to her. "What if the train d'rails, or her magic fails, or she dies? Erza's in cuffs!"

"And Erza can fight just as well without her magic as she can with it, cuffs or not," the barmaid stated more firmly. "Lucy has strong magic potential, and her spirits will help her. The Council won't sit by and watch a prisoner get away, nor let a lawyer be hurt."

"Section two, article six, clause two states that should any harm befall a prisoner or lawyer during transportation, the guild shall be fit to demand compensation," Levy stated. "It's likely that an army of Rune Knights was waiting just outside of the building, waiting for any resistance or trouble to arise. Lucy and Erza will be perfectly safe so long as we don't interfere. Who knows, they may even be back in a few hours."

* * *

The Fiorean Branch of the Magic Council was silent as the small group walked through the halls, rune knights stationed around the circular building. Lucy found her eyes drawn to a shock of cobalt hair, a slender man pushing himself away from the decorative column and into the light. "Siegrain," Erza breathes out, a small shudder making her quake as the kaeru dropped into a quick, low bow.

"Long time, no see, Erza," the man purred out smoothly, walking towards the trio with silent steps- a thought projection, then. "Let your guard down. This is only an imaginary body. My real body is in the Council headquarters in Era. The geezers behind the doors over there are thought projections, too. It would be beneath us to come all the way out here for such an insignificant case."

"I see that this was your doing," the redhead spit out bitterly, shackled hands coming to clasp around Lucy's wrist. "What nonsense."

"That was uncalled for, Erza. I even spoke on behalf of Fairy Tail," he chuckled out lightly, dark eyes taking in every movement of the pair. "Unfortunately, those old fools feared the blame would be placed on them, and they needed a scapegoat, someone to blame in their stead. They chose you." Screwing her lips together, the redhead felt slender fingers wrap tightly around her own hand, and so she refused to rise to the challenge the bluenet was offering. "Alright, fine… the reason I came here before the trial started is because I needed to warn you." He stepped forward quickly, seizing her chin roughly and pressing his lips against her ear, trying to keep the blonde not even a meter away from hearing his whispered words. "Never tell the geezers about _that_. It's for _both_ of our goods." The blonde stepped between them, Siegrain's body shimmering slightly from the disruption before he moved away.

"My client has nothing to say to you," Lucy hissed darkly to the thought projection, and for a moment, those twisted coffee eyes turned towards the blonde, wicked delight sparking up within them. The redhead wanted to scream out at the ghost of her childhood, but she found herself choked up under the thought of dark eyes turning to her again when the blonde seemed to _flourish_ beneath the gaze. "The trial will begin shortly. You _ought_ to find your seat, Siegrain-san." The passive aggressive way that she spoke made even the council member back down, throwing his hands up placatingly and stepping further away from Erza with an almost calm smile in place.

"I shall take my leave, now," he conquered before shooting the blonde a look. "You ought to watch your back, Lucy-san. It'd be a shame to see such… _potential_ go to waste, wouldn't you say so?" Despite being confused over the familiarity between the two, over how hostile they seemed to be, Erza watched silently as the celestial mage straightened her posture, becoming more imposing as her expressions died down into a neutral mask.

"I've been here far longer than you have, Siegrain-san, and I have far more than just potential under my belt. You may be in a higher position than me, but you are sadly mistaken if you think the rules have changed enough to save you from defeat once more."

"I'll be waiting for you behind the doors, Erza, only as a Council member, of course," he teased lightly before shimmering out of existence a moment later.

"You both know such an important person?" the kaeru who had been silent during the whole exchange finally mumbled in disbelief. Despite the anxiety that made her tremble, something she and Erza shared judging by how much the redhead was shaking, she nodded.

"He's _evil_ ," the requip mage snarled heatedly in reply. It was in that moment that Lucy realized the redhead wasn't nervous or afraid; Erza was pissed and trying to restrain herself from acting rashly.

* * *

It wasn't hard to see that the blonde had been truthful in saying she had been at the Magic Council for longer than Siegrain, anyone could see her confidence even as a room filled with glares and despise stared down at her and a shackled convict- by means of scapegoat, but a convict nonetheless- at her side. Gran Doma was the one to speak first, booming voice ringing throughout the room. "We shall begin the trial for Fairy Tail mage, Erza Scarlet now."

"Defendant Erza Scarlet will now take to the witness stand," a kaeru- Lucy could have sworn it had the same voice as the one that had come to get them, but it was pink instead of blue- cried out. She couldn't focus on that, however, when she saw the dangerous gleam in Siegrain's eyes, her mind rushing to keep both her and Erza three steps ahead of the Council.

* * *

"It's been hours!" Natsu yelled once again, standing up only for both Elfman and Nab to shove him back into his barstool rather noisily. "I ain't jus' gonna sit here while Luce's doin' everythin'! Let's go help 'em!"

"Have patience," Makarov said slowly, downing the remainder of his ale and placing the mug silently on the bar beside him for Mirajane to refill. "No matter how fast we try ta get there, we'll be too late anyways."

"Luce is out there _alone_ , though!"

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten that it is _Erza's_ trial they're at," Levy breathed out blandly, eyeing the dragon slayer. "Listen, Natsu, if you go there, you'll probably just try to beat up the Council members, and we don't need that. Lu-chan will be just fine."

"Ya don't know her like I do!"

"Sit quietly and wait patiently for the outcome, Natsu," Mirajane seethed suddenly, her patience slipping and leaving everyone rigid as the mug in her head began to fracture under the pressure of her hand. "Lucy will be perfectly fine and Erza will see to that. This way, they'll both be home before the week is out. If you move from that barstool again, I will see to it that you and Lucy never go on another job together again, I _swear it by the gods_." Everyone watched the roset sink into the barstool silently once more before slowly trying to ignore the tension and begin lighthearted conversations once more, though the ivorette purposely left out the cracked glass to serve a reminder to her threat.

* * *

"Defendant Erza Scarlet," Gran Doma spoke once more, hours later with pages upon pages of note splayed out before him, questions from the Council members and rebuttals from the blonde- that _damned_ blonde- written in ink. "Concerning the terrorism incident at Eisenwald the other day, you are suspected of destroying part of Oshibana Station and Ryushika Canyon's Railway Bridge. According to the witness' testimonies, the culprit is a female mage in armor and red hair." Allowing his eyes to move once more to frighteningly familiar brown eyes- though he couldn't place _where_ he recognized them from- the chairman shrunk back slightly and cleared his throat. "It seems, however, that your good deeds outweigh the damage done. Therefore, we are happy to announce your pardon from the crimes. This trial shall be added to your experience, Lucy-san." More than a few of the Council members turned amused eyes and questioning eyebrows up towards the chairman at the shrill tone and speedy words, but their attention was once more diverted to the Fairy Tail mages.

"Thank you, chairman. We shall take our leave at your permission," the celestial mage said, honeyed voice even. He shooed them off, watching the pair leave until the doors slammed shut once more and gave them their own leave, the room empty save the kaeru.

"Despite the fact that both you and I were aware that this trial was just a formality, I am touched by your insistence to represent me in front of the Council," Erza hummed out sweetly towards Lucy, wrists cleared of their shackles. "I suppose we head home now, see how much damage was done by Natsu in our absence." The requip mage was confused by the way her companion cringed, a guilty look crossing her face.

"I did agree that I'd stay with Natsu until he trusted that I wasn't hurt anymore," she mumbled. "He won't be happy."

A knowing smile crossed Erza's lips, thoughts of how clingy the roset would be towards Lucy when they reached the guild once more playing across her mind and leaving her with butterflies in her stomach- she always _did_ love a good romance story. "I believe he will be more happy than you can imagine, Lucy. I wouldn't worry about him being upset, if I were you." Despite the confused look the seventeen year old shot her, Erza kept her lips sealed about what she knew- how deep his affections went into his instincts. "Come on. Let's go home."

"Home." A bright smile played across the blonde's face, a nod making her fringed bangs bounce. "Yeah! Let's go _home_."

* * *

"Pardon me," Ultear purred out from within the darkened study, watching the rather bland man as he walked towards his extravagant desk, her presence obviously not a shock to him. "Siegrain-sama has done as you requested. Based on numerous sources and your own intellect, we have found her." She watched stray beams of sunlight catch in his muted dijon hair, shadowing his face further until only his dark peanut eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. "How do you wish to proceed?"

"Keep an eye on her," he spoke, his voice hoarse from years of cigars and rough liquor. "When the time comes, you will no longer be needed. I only need you to ensure no lasting damage will come to her." Dipping lowly towards the floor to hide her look of disgust- she had been trailing that dimwitted girl for _hours_ now and she was already tired of it- Ultear hummed out her consent to the request before allowing her thought projection to shimmer away.

* * *

 ** _Hello again! Okay, so today is a special exception to my wacky updating schedule (not that I really have one) because it's my birthday! I've decided to gift you all with this chapter! Okay, on top of that, if anyone has a ship and/or scenario they want me to write (I don't know, y'all seem to like my writing) you can let me know in a review or private message. If you have a birthday coming up and want to see a oneshot, let me know when and what and I'll get it out there for you! Also, since May is like mental health awareness month, if anyone ever needs someone to talk to, I'm here for all of you. My messages are always open, I'm checking FanFiction at least once a day, and I'll get back to you as soon as I see it. As always, I love to hear suggestions and requests (they get my brain working) and you all make me so happy! Thank you all so much!_**

 ** _FairyAddict/Guest , you're all good, honey! Both Natsu and Happy had a shock finding out she was homeless. Just you wait until everyone learns that she went from 'King of the world' rich to homeless in less than a day. Thanks for understanding. My brain's just been dead lately._**

 ** _Breathless02 , hello again! You're welcome. I love writing this story, honestly, I just can't think of stuff usually. I figured he grew up with a dragon, so why's he so human, yaknow? That's the first like ten/seven/five years he can remember or whatever. And Lucy is such an underrated character (even if she is a main character, but oh well)._**

 ** _Flamelily274 , you bet your butt that Mirajane and Lucy will go on the mission with Team Dragon! I've got it all planned out, now, but it's gonna be a while, okay? Thank you for the ideas!_**

 ** _Therashae , you're cute!_**

 ** _Littlest1 , thanks for the support! Team Natsu will have the most explored nightmares, but I will include less prominent characters and their fears/nightmares as well. Erza will help get (read: steal) Lucy away from Natsu during her confinement. Happy is just fussing for the theatrics of it. He doesn't actually mind. Thank you so much, I'm always unsure of the other guild characters because I don't really have set ideas for their backstories (which is something I definitely like having) so I feel like they're inconsistent or shallow. It's all good though. I'm glad that Levy and Mirajane are good, at the very least! I will definitely have Wendy use teacher!Lucy as an excuse to hoard her away! That's brilliant! Also, sorry about the skimped lawyer!Lucy scene. I'm not very certain on the laws I want in this story yet, so I didn't go into depth. The siren oneshot is not based on your mission, it's based on something I read on instagram that said what if mermaids/sirens were women who had been betrayed and thrown into the sea to die by ship crews blessed by some goddess to enact revenge. You bet Lucy and Lisanna are gonna be flirt buddies! I already have pieces coming together!_**

 ** _, I'm happy to see you too! If you ever wanna get it touch, totally message me! Thanks! You're so precious! All of my chapters are pretty much author's notes, aren't they? See ya soon!_**

 ** _Bookgirl18 , I love possessive Natsu bits, too! You're waaaay too cute, what the heck. I'm blessed to have you as a fan, honestly! I feel like you really need to think on the depth of her magic to see her magical strength, but many people don't do that. You're right about her education for sure. _**

**_Softkittypaw , I made myself read parts of my story and I swear, if I hadn't written it, I would be obsessed, not gonna lie. I'm glad that I'm getting you more obsessed with possessive Natsu. It's a disease and a cure in one. Thanks for seeing the depths and stuff. It was really one of my big problems with Fairy Tail's cannon. Laxus won't be too impressed, because he doesn't like being shown up, really, and so all the attention Lucy gets is going to lead to his downfall, really. I'm so ready to include Apus, and I already have an idea for how Lucy will get him. I gotchu, so be ready for it. Hug me to death anyways._**

 _ **Alydragneel , I did update. Most of this was done on my phone today, honestly. I love Natsu more each time I write about him, too, and he definitely can and will get more adorable. Just you wait. Lucy most definitely has different magics up her sleeve, and it'll show the more we go along. If you want to see the collection so far, go to my bio and look at the other story I've posted. It's a spellbook of my original spells. Lucy and Erza (and Levy or Mirajane, or even Cana on occasion, etc.) will be the main masterminds on missions, and when it's just Lucy and Natsu and/or Gray, you can bet they'll do a majority of the brawny work. Oh, you should definitely be afraid for the Lucy/Gajeel relationship. You'll hate me when the one year skip comes up. I already hate me and I just started planning it. It's going to be an emotional bomb. I do have plans for after Tartarus, and I can't say that you'll like them all, but it's all good, cause you'll like some and that's all that matters. Natsu won't really leave Lucy unguarded, per say, but that comes later. Thanks for the faith and the love! **_

_**Booklovinkitten , and I love you.**_

 _ **Alice** **, thank you so much! My inner muse is coming up with chapters too quickly for my fingers to type them, and my schedule to clear up for. I'm so happy that I made your bookmark!**_

 _ **Naru285 , thank you so much. I'm so glad that you can already see how they should be acting and that I'm living up to it. I honestly have so much trouble with words, you should hear me talk. I can't say anything correctly. Typing is just my specialty I guess. You're so cute, I love you so much oh my goodness. Oh, definitely be ready for Phantom. It's just around a very long corner. Thank you for giving my charictorization scenes some credit. I felt like they were just bleh, but it's good to know that you enjoy them just as much, if not more, than the action. I've never been good at writing action, actually, sooooo. Thank you so much. I will keep it up.**_

 _ **Important: I am looking for Beta Reader(s), so let me know if you want to be one. I would love it, and you'll get to help me piece this story together!**_

 _ **By the way, the vibe for today is Losin Control by Russ, for those of you wondering what music I'm obsessed with. I'll do these at the end, for those of you curious.**_

 _ **That's it for now. Thank you all! I love you!**_


	19. Chapter nineteen

**Chapter nineteen**

If there was one thing that could be said about Erza Scarlet, it was that she was intuitive. She _knew_ that Natsu and Gray would have been best friends in a world where there magic didn't clash so obviously, she could tell that Laki thrived when she was in control because she had been hurt when she couldn't control it, and she was more than aware of Bisca and Alzack secretly pining over one another- though, who _wasn't_. So, it was quite obvious that something was wrong with Lucy the moment they boarded the train back to Magnolia, the moment they were out of the Council's sight. She curled up against the window, cheek pressed against the glass as if hoping to ground herself, and tried to keep her trembles at bay, though it didn't do much help. For a moment, she wished Natsu were present- he knew better than anyone how to comfort the blonde, and it was obvious she needed comforting.

With a shallow sigh, she allowed her armor to slip away, leaving her in a simple white tee shirt and a pair of jeans, and scooted closer to the celestial mage. "Are you alright, Lucy?" The way the blonde jumped alone was a clear indicator that no, she wasn't okay, and yet she had a well practiced smile slapped on her face as her head whipped around towards the requip mage.

"Of course, Erza. I'm just a bit chilly is all," she hummed out, as if August was cold enough to use the excuse for.

"Would you like a blanket, then? Or a hot beverage? I could run to the snack cart for you," the redhead offered easily, though Lucy shook her head all the same. "Perhaps then, you'd like to talk about whatever is bothering you." There was a thick moment of silence in which the blonde allowed her muscles to relax, moving away from the window and shooting her companion an exhausted smile.

"The Council always leaves me feeling tired. It's nothing, really." For a moment, the requip mage felt the need to scold her for lying again, but she looked at those drained topaz eyes and allowed a content smile to spread across her lips, deciding to let it go and nod along.

"I agree, they are rather tiring, aren't they?" she hummed out softly. Lucy was grateful for her acceptance, not wanting to tell her just how seriously she had screwed up her quaint little life and how drastically she would have to act within the next few months. "Why don't we go out sometime this week, as a thank you for coming with me to act as my defense? Perhaps we might be able to take a job."

Allowing thoughts of Ishgar countries to flee from her mind, she offered a bright smile towards the S-class mage and curled her arms more tightly around herself. "I'd like that."

* * *

Stepping off of the train felt different this time around, stars littering the dark sky above her, Erza's armored arm brushing against her own instead of Natsu's, people smiling and waving towards the pit of them, and the sinking feeling of her gut. She almost regretted going with the redhead- of course, she _didn't_ and would _never_ regret helping a friend unfairly accused of a crime- but quickly shook off the thoughts and decided that she needed a long bath and some time to write to her mother and beg her for help, maybe even risk death by summoning Aquarius. She took a grand total of two steps towards Strawberry Street before Erza snagged her arm and began pulling her towards the guildhall. "Erza, what are you doing?"

"Well, I highly doubt that Natsu would have quietly gone home with the pair of us in ERA, so it is unlikely that Mirajane allowed him to leave the guild hall. We should go there first," she explained, tugging the celestial mage after her. "Natsu must have been worried- it isn't often that he grows so close to someone, and much less so that they have an agenda of their own. I'm sure he didn't know how to act and Mirajane took it upon herself to straighten out his behavior."

"I guess you're right." Despite the knowledge that all ideas of planning her getaway would have to be put on hold until Natsu deemed her ready to live on her own again, she couldn't help the comfort of knowing that he would be hiding away with her in the woods, the least likely place anyone would look for her at, and security washed over her until she was practically skipping alongside Erza.

* * *

Sapphire eyes, owlish and usually brimming with joy, ticked yet again when the drumming increased rhythm, scorch marks lining the bartop underneath the dragon slayer's fingers as he tapped away at the wood, the sound permeating the otherwise silent guildhall- even Elfman and Gray too frightened to step out of line, the members of Fairy Tail tucked away into a corner save Natsu. So she watched, irritation growing with every passing moment, as Natsu continued to drum his fingers and burn her counter a little more every time his finger pad made contact with the singed spot, the glass in her hand beginning to crack beneath her hand in splintering, almost spider web, motions. The doors flew open, the barmaid not even checking to make sure it was the girls before sobbing in relief, Natsu springing up with an excited whine and rushing at the unprepared blonde- who ended up pinned to the ground with a needy dragon slayer on top of her. "Oh, thank _Aradia_!" the ivorette cried out in relief, shards of glass exploding on the ground when the mug tumbled from her hand. "I thought it would never end!" She shot the roset the nastiest look she had ever pinned against a Fairy Tail member and pointed past him to the empty Magnolian streets. "Get out! Go!"

"Ya ain't gotta tell me twice. C'mon Luce, Haps." Ignoring the fact that he had just urged Lucy to follow him, he ended up slinging the celestial mage over his shoulder despite her squealed protests and began the long walk to his cabin, Happy fluttering after him and snickering into his paw.

"I'm impressed," Erza hummed out, mocha eyes amused after hearing the fading declaration of _'Natsu liiiikes Lucy!'_. "You managed to not only contain all of Fairy Tail, but you also refrained from throttling Natsu. I commend you, Mirajane."

"Lucy better be one damn good lawyer," was all the snowy haired woman could choke out before scowling at the rest of the guild. "Scram!"

* * *

Lucy quickly decided that she _hated_ being held over someone's shoulder like a sack of flour- from the feeling of a shoulder digging into her stomach to the constant swaying of the steps she wasn't taking to the blood rushing to her head and leaving her feet with pinpricks. Still, Natsu refused to set her down and what was she to do other than deal with it- besides kicking him a couple times, but she waved the thought away reminding herself that she worried him. She couldn't even describe how happy she was when she was back on her own two feet, hands clasping firmly around the dragon slayer's arms as the blood rushed back to the rest of her body. "I could have walked, you know," she chided gently as she pulled her hands away from him slowly, feeling more stable after a moment.

"Ya left me at the guild!" he whined out suddenly. "Mira was threatenin' me and ya _left_ _with Erza_!" For a split second, all Lucy could think about was how poorly he would react when she up and disappeared one day, heading off to a new country to escape her old life completely, to live freely without constantly looking over her shoulder and hiding in the shadows, and he let out an anxious whimper at the guilt that tainted her features. "Luce-"

"I'm sorry, Natsu," she interjected quickly, stepping forward and curling her arms around his waist, for her own comfort or his she wasn't quite sure. "I just figured that it wouldn't be fair to let Erza take all of the blame unfairly. We had, after all, been part of the Lullaby incident as well. Besides, I didn't think that it would bother you." He let out a sigh, chin coming to prop against the crown of her head with his arms draped over her shoulders, feeling immensely better now that he knew she was safe, that she was with him and nothing had happened.

While he wasn't happy about how long she had been gone- nor how vicious Mirajane had been everytime he so much as thought of getting up from the bar- he didn't like the depressed slump to her shoulders, nor the anxious trembles racing through her body every now and again. "It's fine, Luce. Jus' lemme know nex' time. Or lemme come with ya." She agreed easily, allowing the unnatural warmth from his skin to relax each of her coiled muscles and urge her towards sleep.

"You got it," she promised lowly.

* * *

It was still dark out, the only light around Natsu's little cabin coming from a single candle held inches from the pages of a book, topaz doe eyes scanning the foreign text with some semblance of serenity. Lucy still jumped each time something outside of the house moved, once waking up Natsu with a shriek when Happy muttered about fish from where he was sleeping behind her head, and she was sure the paranoia would soon be the death of her as she heard birds begin to chirp, jumping so hard that she gave herself a papercut on the page she'd been turning. Reaching her wit's end, she marched over to her belongings, pulling out some paper and an enchanted pen from the bag, and settled down to write.

 _Dear Mama,_ she began as always, the familiarity of her writing routine giving her peace of mind for a moment. _It's been so long since I've written to you, and I would have sooner had my life not been so hectic lately. I've joined Fairy Tail and already there are so many people that I care about. There's Mirajane, the covergirl and bartender, though she's more like the big sister to everyone in the guild, and Bisca, a sweet girl who prefers to be either alone or with her partner Alzack, though she certainly won't hesitate to jump in and make sure you're alright if you seem down. Then there's Levy, who speaks more languages than I do, believe it or not, and loves books just as much. I haven't talked to many of the guys yet, but I've done a few jobs with Natsu and Gray. Gray's nice, a bit closed off but sweet all the same, and I hope it just takes time for us to become close friends. Then there's Natsu, the one who brought me to Fairy Tail. He's so strong and protective of his friends, and he's definitely a wild card, but I'd say he's my best friend. Oh, I can't forget about Happy! He's a magic cat, mama, who talks and flies and walks on his hind legs like it's the most natural thing in the world. And then there's Erza, the only girl I've worked with so far. She's beautiful, strong, and kind with a strong sense of justice. I'd be honored to grow up like her._ She felt herself sober up quickly at the reminder. _I think I blew my chances in Fiore though. The Magic Council used Erza as a scapegoat for a recent incident we had with a dark guild, Eisenwald, and I couldn't just let her go to ERA alone. I think they recognized me, though, and I'm sure I'll have to leave now. Maybe I'll go to Stella and learn more about celestial magic, or Desierto for a chance to study earth magic and find some new keys. I'm not sure yet, but I still have some time to decide. I guess I'm prolonging the inevitable because I like it here in Magnolia. I'm being so selfish._ She pushed some tears from her lashline, annoyed with herself as she signed off the letter and shoved it back into her bag, blowing out the candle and falling back into the couch cushions as she tried to calm herself down.

* * *

 ** _Beta Reader Needed. Send me a message or review if you'd like to be a Beta Reader. It'd be greatly appreciated._**

 ** _Okay, so I'm sorry for the long absence and the short chapter. I promise you it'll stop being boring soon. I'd like to say a late Ramadan Kareem to all of my Muslim readers. How is Ramadan going guys? I have finals next week so yay! Let's blow this joint!_**

 ** _This update's vibe is Breathe (2AM) by Anna Nalick._**

 ** _ Therashea, yeah, Natsu usually gets the short end of the stick, doesn't he? I personally like having him with the what if scenarios, because it's easier to explain that going into overprotective than just happy go lucky, oblivious child going into murderous rage, yaknow?_**

 ** _Softkittypaw , oh my goodness you're so cute! I'm smiling so hard, thank you so much! I'm actually really excited to add Apus, too! _**

**_AzmariaMinohi , thank you so much! Don't worry, stuff will be explained in due time. Satisfaction will (hopefully) bring you back lol_**

 ** _Littlest1 , I like to do what I can. I think I'm going to have Lucy slowly train Mirajane and Levy as lawyers as the plot continues, and I'll begin adding in more actual trial scenes as I figure out what laws and stuff I want within this universe. Can you imagine it, Mirajane with her demonic aura and a sickly sweet smile defending a sheepish looking Elfman while Lucy sits in the background and nods? It'd be so cute. I can't wait for more Erza/Lucy bonding time. They're so cute and I don't think it's originally explored enough in the manga/anime. The book club isn't what it seems, and I'll show you all what I mean next chapter. That's kind of why this chapter is short (that, and it's been like another month. I suck at updates.) Anyways, y'all will have to let me know if you want more "bookclub" chapters throughout the story. My friend and I have worked hard planning out the bookclub. That we do, my friend. That we do._**

 ** _Naru285 , thank you, my dear friend. _**

**_Alice_** ** _, thank you so much! Sorry for another short chapter, but I swear I'll make it up to you guys. I love you so much wow you're adorable! You make my day, and heck yeah there will be more Nalu moments!_**

 ** _Letavia , thank you so much! I'm glad that you decided to review! It's so sweet. I would love to hear your opinion, so feel free to either message me or drop them in a review! I'm glad you like the story, too. _**

**_Kitty-cat989898 , oh my lord I love you so much! Honestly, depth and flaws are what urged me to write this story, so I'm glad it's enjoyable. You're so cute, oh my goodness. I'm a binge story!_**

 ** _Lucinda , thank you! Here it is!_**

 ** _Primavera67 , the reason I put the comparison to Lisanna in chapter nine is solely because Natsu spent most of his childhood searching for Igneel, and Lisanna was the one to comfort him after each dead end. It was just a testament to their similar kindness. Lisanna won't really become a piece of his hoard again, and if she does only on a Happy like level of someone he can trust. Honestly, I think Lucy and Lisanna will be just as close friends as Natsu and Lisanna when she comes back from Edolas. Natsu and Lisanna have not and will not be romantically involved in this story, so you don't have to worry about that. _**

**_S. Augustara_** _ **, welcome to the Fairy Tail fandom! Thank you so much! You're so sweet, I'm smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. You honestly brightened my day up so nicely! The reason I had Lucy and Erza evacuate the town was because, whether or not Eisenwald was planning on broadcasting Lullaby, they were a dark guild and would probably stoop to hostages and killing innocents to get their way, and they would rather avoid that. Damage control Lucy and overprotective Natsu make the world go round, I'm telling you. I'm going to tell you now, as badass as Lucy is in this story, she won't be very aggressive towards her father. She was neglected and mentally abused by him, and it's made her wary of authoritative figures, so she'll have to have a breaking point. I'm still not sure how I'm going to play out her side of that chapter, but Natsu will be fun to write. Thank you so much!**_

 _ **GoddessxNyte2 , thank you for reading the entire story! It's actually going to be a while before Lucy's full backstory comes around in the story, but if you'd like, I could do a little summary one-shot thing on her backstory and put it up somewhere for you to read. I know it's weird, but we have an original arc and then Galuna Island before Gajeel and Juvia are introduced, so we have a little ways to go. I feel like it'd be adorable to see like Levy or Lucy or Wendy even being on guard and having them be all nice until he pisses them off and they snap and his total submission when he's assigned to either Mirajane, Natsu, Gajeel, or Erza. Plus, the Thunder Legion hanging around Team Natsu/the Strauss Siblings gives me life, so yes. I love the hoarding and possessive instincts, too! For sure. I'm going to have something like that coming right up, and I was thinking of having Lucy get fed up with someone (probably Gray, not gonna lie) being snappy about how "weak" her magic is and she challenges him to summon a silver spirit and have it knock him on his ass, because it's literally ripping a gate between two different realms and sustaining it while someone is using your magic to fight, not to mention all this other stuff. I'll definitely let Natsu start realizing his feelings before Edolas, but I really want Lisanna to kick him into gear and demand he date Lucy and stuff, so it'll be after then that they actually get together (sorry!). Thank you so much! You're so sweet!**_


	20. Chapter twenty

**Chapter twenty**

"You ready, Lu-chan?" Levy asked the moment the celestial mage stepped into the guild hall, flanked by Erza and Laki instead of her usual pair of boys. "It's Friday! We have to go pack up for the book club this weekend! Let's go!" Snatching up the blonde's arm, the bluenette didn't hesitate to go skipping past the snarling dragon slayer.

"Natsu Dragneel, you've had Lucy for a week already. Time to share," Erza threatened stonily, ushering Laki past the roset and watching her in understanding as the lilac haired mage went running towards her own house, declaring that she left some important books she needed to pack. Erza was the last female within the guild hall, save Evergreen who was hissing angrily into her fan about not being invited- she was _obviously_ invited and just chose not to go for some odd reason. "We shall return Sunday afternoon. Behave, boys."

"Not fair!" Natsu whined not even a minute after the doors fell shut behind the redhead. "She had Lucy all yesterday. What makes her think she can steal Luce again for a whole _weekend_? Luce said she'd stay with me 'til I said she could leave. I never said she could leave."

"Ya can't control her all the time, Natsu. She's her own person," Gray stated blandly, not even really looking for a fight. The entire guild- the boys, at the very least, since they were all that was left- gaped when the roset dropped down beside his dark haired rival, slumping in the barstool and pouting pitifully as he grumbled incomprehensible words.

"Now that you mention it, Mira-nee wasn't at the house when I woke up either," Elfman grumbled our in his deep baritone. "I figured it was 'cause she'd be here, but I haven't seen her yet. It isn't manly to leave without telling anyone, too."

"Cana isn't drinking at the bar, either," Nab pointed out, gesturing to the string of barstools that remained empty. "And Bisca should be comin' in soon if not already. She and Alzack got back from the job last night."

"Wasn't Enno here earlier, too? Where'd she go? She hasn't gone on a solo mission since before Romeo was born."

"Not even Loke's usual crowd is hanging around today. I wonder what's going on."

"I bet it's Erza's fault," Natsu grumbled towards the panicking males. "She probably kidnapped the girls ta punish us. Ya saw how quick she yanked Luce out."

"You're right!" Kurov shrieked out suddenly. "Who knows what she's doin' to _them_! And poor Lucy just joined the guild, too."

"Holy shit," Gray mumbled, and for a moment, Makarov thought that not all of the brains resides within the female populace of Fairy Tail. "You guys are right! We have ta save 'em before Erza let's her wrath be known!" The poor old master felt all hope flood his body as the males raced from the building, disorganized and causing havoc- how in the two years that the girls had been disappearing at least one weekend a month had no one else realized it until they got Natsu involved?

"Idiots," he mumbled, looking at the cackling Thunder Legion as Evergreen went off to warn the girls. "The lot of 'em."

* * *

"You guys will have trouble coming," the tawny haired female from the Thunder Legion hummed out suddenly, coming in with the steady stream of girls and fanning herself boredly. "Natsu has started a riot against Erza, declaring she has kidnapped everyone as punishment for some mistake or another." The redhead let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.

"Ridiculous," she seethed through gritted teeth. "Thank you for the warning, Evergreen. Are you sure you do not wish to partake in the weekend's events with us? You're more than welcome to join."

"I'll be going on a job with my team, not that you need to know," the brunette huffed before spinning on her heel and marching back to the guild hall, having only warned them as a female courtesy.

"Well it's a good thing they chose this week to turn up," Levy giggled out mischievously, plucking a book from within the depths of her large bag. "I've got the perfect spell for them."

"You see, Lucy," Mirajane began upon seeing the blonde's confusion, "our true intentions for coming together for weekends at a time is to talk about topics we can't disclose with the boys as well as teaching everyone simple spells. If we were to teach the boys stuff like this- like that healing spell you used- they would take advantage of it and end up wearing themselves out over a tiny scratch."

"Besides, female bondin' is a must with how much the guys fight. Here we can see how compatible we are with other girls for future jobs or fights," Bisca tacked on, standing over Levy's shoulder as she skimmed the book.

"Here it is!" the solid script mage cheered out suddenly, jumping to her feet and displaying the book for all to see. A few mages, Lucy and Mirajane included, moved closer to inspect the writing, not that many of them could read it. "A type of illusionary magic that hides life within a room from those on the outside, sound and smell included! It looks like we'll need someone at each window and door, but seems simple other than that."

"An Isvani spell? It'll be a breeze," Lucy mumbled out, studying the page over her shoulder. "Levy, either you or I should be the one to perform the spell, since we can read the instructions."

"I agree," the lapis haired mage hummed out, nodding quickly while the other girls tried to decipher what was going on. "Connecting our magic will be a pain, but that's the hardest part of we do it this way. I'll do the spell. Line up around the room, girls! As wide of a circle as we can manage!" Everyone set to work quickly, leaving their belongings in the center of Fairy Hill's basement and standing on the edges of the room, chittering excitedly as Levy read through the curled characters a few more times.

"This will be good practice," Mirajane hummed out from beside Lucy. Erza grunted in agreement on the blonde's other side, both Laki and Enno looking nervous where they were beside the pair of strong women. "Alright girls, flare your magic and keep light thoughts. Feeling the same as the people around you helps meld magic together." Lucy was awed as power flooded the room, nearly forgetting for a moment that she had to participate as well, shaking away the little voice in the back of her head hat felt the need to remind her that she wasn't leveled with the mages around her, that her magic was weaker. "Focus, Lucy. You've been working with Erza recently, so recognize her magic and try to mimic it. Laki, I know that you and Enno have been practicing. Let's see what you can do."

Taking Mirajane's advice, she allowed her magic to reach out and search for Erza, recognizing the gentle, almost silky, feeling as her redhead teammate and smiling jovially when the female beside her cracked a smile. "Very good, Lucy. Being able to blend magic is the key to unison raids," the requip mage hummed out with a challenging glint to her mocha eyes. "Perhaps we should try one some time. We may be quite compatible given how easily you were able to find me."

"Me next, Lu-chan!" Levy chirped our excitedly before grimacing as her loss of concentration made her connecting magic snap shut again. Smiling gently towards the bluenette as she began urging her magic forward once more, Lucy found herself greeted by a much lighter lace, almost, and it wasn't long before she didn't have to fight to keep it in her senses, hanging in the background like Erza's own magic. An array of magic cane at her, tickling her mind like cotton, bark, porcelain, and velvet, and she found herself enveloped in the feeling of her nakama, peace flooding through her as love radiated and left the group silent as the solid script mage activated the spell. _"Chupāvō."_ A rather anticlimactic shimmer passed through the air, the only evidence to them being the small blur that distorted their vision of the windows and doors.

"I can lock up," the blonde offered, skipping over to the doors first despite the confused looks shot her way.

"You don't have a key though, Lucy," Mirajane argued lightly.

"Don't need one." Shooting a wink back to the ivorette, the blonde pressed her finger against the keyhole that had long since lost its key. _"Seruro."_ A tiny clicking sound was heard before the blonde moved on, skipping to the next door and repeating her actions, then again with each of the widows. Erza was the first to try the door handle, impressed considering her knowledge as head girl for Fairy Hills that the key for the basement hd been lost years before.

"That is quite a handy spell," she praised easily.

"You have no idea. The magic keeps it locked until the caster deems it alright to be unlocked, so I recommend using this while traveling to keep thieves and shady innkeeps out of your room," Lucy chirped out, grateful for the steady thrum of magic flaring just beneath her skin after so long of the withering feeling of magic depletion.

* * *

"What do you see?" the two male members of Team Shadowgear- Jet and Droy- chanted out in unison, shoving Elfman away from where the males of the guild were crowded around the basement windows.

"Natsu's big fat head," Gray hissed back venomously, rubbing his temple after Alzack elbowed him. "Seriously, this is the dumbest thing we've ever done. Erza's gonna kill us all." Glancing at the rosy haired dragon slayer, the ice mage continued slightly more warily. "Besides, pyro here's lost his marbles."

Everyone else went silent for a moment, listening to the consistent mumbles of, "I can't smell Luce," before falling back on their heels with mirrored signs of disappointment. They all contemplated leaving for a minute- Loke even got up and began walking away with Gray on his heels, when the roset broke the silence again. "Luce!"

"Woah, she just disappeared! How manly!" Elfman cheered a moment later. Happy could only squeak out the beginning of a warning before both Gray and Droy were attempting to restraint the dragon slayer, cursing their decision to follow him and spy on Fairy Hills.

* * *

"M'kay, girls," Bisca hummed out, a small smile on her face. "This one's ta repair small holes or cuts in clothes." She passed a pair of scissors to Mirajane, who promptly sliced a tiny laceration in her sweater before handing the tool to Laki. "If ya use enough magic, I'm sure ya could use it to patch up wounds, but I haven't tried it. All ya gotta do is hold the hole and say _ghuriza_." A small spark of magic flared throughout the room, and when the teenager pulled her hand away from where the hole in her skirt had been, there was thrumming, magic laced stitches patching it together instead.. Several choruses of _ghuriza_ followed, Erza wrinkling her nose and demanding Mirajane help her when the barmaid excelled with the Desiertan spell. "It ain't a permanent fix, and it only holds for 'bout two hours, but it's plenty easy and ya can do it over and over again."

"Wow, Lucy," Enno breathes out in awe, staring at the neat stitching closing the self imposed hole. "You're magic is so pretty." All eyes seemed to snap to the dusting of golden glitter tied into what appeared to be silver thread, the tiny stitches looking ethereal as they shimmered and winked.

"Thank you," the blonde choked out quickly, smiling easily and eying the eggplant haired woman's own stitching. Deep chocolate stitching seemed to writhe within their confines, the minuscule motions the only indication that they weren't typical stitches. "I've never seen magic like yours."

"Enno is an earth based mage," Mirajane supplied quickly, smiling as a stitch appeared in the scarf Erza had used to practice the spell on. "Magmatic control. It's quite unique."

"Unfortunately, my magic power has been dwindling for nearly a decade, not that I'm all too sure why," the eggplant haired woman stated sadly from beside Laki, who was staring at the twine like stitches on her jacket in awe. It took another few minutes until the circle of mages were satisfied with their temporary repairs, looking around for the next person to share a spell.

"I could teach you how to create a bottomless purse," Lucy said after a long moment. "Or small electric shocks, sparks to start fire, enchanting a pair of shoes to holding your favorite outfit."

"Do the bag!" Erza insisted quickly, her tone demanding.

"And the outfit!" Cana shot out right after. A soft smile curled onto the blonde's face as she snatched her rather large bag from where she had stored it, quickly dumping out the pile of spell books and clothes she had packed for the weekend.

"This spell creates a pocket dimension that you can access through any bags you enchant, and the spell marks anyone with access with a small stamp on their hand," the blonde stated, using a single finger to circle the rim of her tote bag. "You have to trace the bag and press your finger from the opposite hand to wherever you want the mark and say ' _badag-ieobsnuen gabang'_. If you want to give someone else access, you trace the bag connected to your pocket dimension and place another finger on their hand before saying the same phrase." She smiled, watching the lip of her bag begin to glow the familiar gold as she pushed her magic into it. "Like so. _Badag-ieobsnuen gabang._ " A small flare of light was all that marked the completion of the enchantment, the blonde shoveling her things into the now bottomless bag with a smile and showing off the mark mere shades lighter than her flesh. There were excited chitters as everyone proceeded to dump out their belongings in front of them and began working on enchanting whatever bags they had brought with them, and Mirajane scooted over with her own pig snout mark gleaming on her pale hand.

"So, what do you think of our book club?" the ivory haired woman asked with a faint laugh in her voice. "Not quite what you were expecting, is it?"

"Not quite, but I love it all the same," the blonde giggled out in turn.

* * *

He was freaking out, something he knew was highly illogical because Erza would most definitely keep Lucy safe- something the requip mage has proven on _many_ occasions so far- but he couldn't find any trace of the blonde aside from her scent- which was fading from her apartment and the guild hall. It was in this panic induced haze that he found himself in front of the Thunder Legion, a bag of money in his hand and his dark eyes pinned on the canary haired man. "I'll pay you three million jewels to track Lucy down," he said, no trace of humor to his tone.

"You like that blonde tramp that much? I'll go grab her for you," Evergreen said with a small smirk on her lips. "I won't even ask for the three million. One hundred thousand will do." The tawny haired woman stood swiftly, snagging the money from Natsu's hand the moment he held it out to her. "C'mon, dragon boy. This is gonna be _good_."

* * *

"Meditation," the blonde declared easily, a pair of loose fitted pajama pants covering her legs and a tight tank top leaving her arms exposed to the heated night. "I tend to meditate at night, under the stars, since that's the center point of my magic. Meditations helps you to become more attuned to your magic and the ways you can mold it. I'm aware that I have more luck with light or sky orientated magic, such as healing, fire, wind, flares, and electricity. That's not to say that I can't use water or more earth orientated spells, it's just that it uses more of my magic and concentration. Through mediation, you can broaden your abilities, replenish your magic, and even expand your magic power in extreme cases. This was what I did mainly before becoming a working mage."

"Meditation is a very good practice for mages," Mirajane concurred quickly. "Back when I was a working mage, I made sure to meditate at least weekly, if not daily." She settled down easily into a cross legged position on one of the blankets laid out, her shorts riding high on her thighs as she placed her wrists on her knees. "The easiest way to begin meditation is by focusing entirely on the pulse of your magic. You can always feel your magic, but many people don't realize that's it's as alive as your heart or your lungs. It beats and fluctuates, and you can feel it if you really concentrate. Focus on the beat of your magic for as long as you're able to, feel it grow and shrink, rise and fall."

Slowly, girls in night clothes settled down on the blankets and closed their eyes, breathing deeply and slipping away from reality. Lucy, however, found herself yanked violently back into reality by a pair of scorching arms curling around her biceps and just beneath her breasts and deep purrs humming in her ear. "Natsu?"

"Lucy, I couldn't find ya for so long an' none of the guys were takin' it serious an' Evergreen helped me find ya," the roset rambled quickly. She felt a smile curl onto her face, even as Erza's eyes popped open like some demon and she began yelling so loudly that Levy screamed in terror and helped snap the other girls back into full consciousness, and admitted that she enjoyed her weekend, even as she began packing up the surplus of books being lent to her with the promise that they would sneak away again soon. Lucy was content with her life, she realized on the way back to Natsu's cottage as he fretted- and she would do _anything_ to keep this life exactly this way.

* * *

 _ **I am so sorry about the short chapter and the late update. Life is literally insane right now. I actually just pulled an all nighter to finish this so wish me luck everyone. Anyways, I hope you guys are cool with this, Happy Independence Day for all you patriotic Americans out there, and stay safe and healthy!**_

 _ **PerfectlyStrange , you are so so sweet to say that! Zeref will definitely be brotherly towards Natsu, and Igneel will be fatherly because I think I've decided to have the dragons stick around afterwards. I got a few ideas. Lucy may not seem like it now, but she's such a badass in this story. Quick spoiler for the story, I think I'm going to have her gift Zeref. Not like a final battle type of showdown or anything, but she'll put some marks on him and it'll be great honestly. **_

_**Artistofthemind , ah thank you so much. If you like my future plans this far, you should see the notes on my phone. They are positively filled with story ideas and little tidbits I need to add. You can totally be one of my betas after your summer without the internet. Let me know if you want to!**_

 _ **Littlest1 , I can't wait to have Lucy start to outgrow her fears and traumas from her childhood. They'll never fully leave, of course, but she'll be able to work through them with some support. I can't wait for Lucy and Mirajane and even Levy to grow closer. I'll definitely have to explore that more. I can't wait for Juvia either. My baby needs to be friends with the other girls. I would love to explore the different countries, even if only on vacations and stuff, because they're so bland in the original story and they have so much potential. Fleeing the country seemed a good way to introduce that. **_

**_, thank you so much love!_**

 ** _GoddessxNyte2 , thank you! I'm not too afraid of leaving Lucy reliant on others for strength for now because of all the things she has to face alone (like the infinity clock, the year break, etc.) but I definitely see what you mean. If it makes you feel any better, she'll still be going to comfront her father alone (I'm pretty sure. Maybe Levy or Romeo stows away because how cute would Romeo interrogating Lucy on the train be, and then her standing up to her father because he starts insulting Romeo and Romeo telling Natsu that he'll keep a good eye on Lucy for Natsu whenever he sees her sneaking off. It's be adorable.) by the end of the story, though, Lucy won't be like this at all. _**

**_Therashae , if only she would learn. Maybe one day. _**

**_Naru285 , I'm glad too! I love Erza as an older sister to literally everyone. Mirajane too. They're both wonderful and complex characters. Oh, if only Lucy knew the uproar fleeing Fiore would bring. Oh boy. _**

**_Alice , ah, you're so cute! I am alive. I miss you too! I promise I won't abandon this story easily. Life's rough, I have no time at all to write honestly. You can always PM me and I would totally give you my email or something there!_**

 ** _Primavera67 , sorry, schedule conflicts keep me from updating a lot. So, Lucy might try to hightail it out of Magnolia at some point, but I'll definitely have people keep running into her and taking her on jobs instead. It'll all work out. And our beloved dragon slayer will grow more fits than probably necessary but oh well. _**

**_S. Augustara , heck yeah! Thank you so much! I, too, enjoy the connections between characters. There will be a lot of women supporting women in this story, and many other friendships. It's going to be great. They need friendship. That's what the whole darn manga is based on. You rock! _**

**_Kitty-cat989898 , thank you so much! I figure no one really likes being manhandled. You're so cute oh my goodness. I just use pretty typical quirks really, but it means a lot that you enjoy them! Thank you so much!_**

 ** _Lucinda , ah you're so sweet! Here's another chapter! _**

**_Alydragneel , I'm back! Thank you so much! You'll just have to read and see what happens!_**

 ** _Softkittypaw , thank you! You're precious! Oh I'm so hyped for Phantom Lord. Juvia and Gajeel, my sweet children. Thank the Lord. Okay but yes, Laxus getting his ass kicked by like Levy and Bisca will complete my life. Welcome to the Hoarding Natsu Fanclub!_**

 ** _Anonymous Turtle , thank you! I welcome you, as well, to the Overprotective Hoarding Natsu Fanclub. You're so cute I honestly just got really depressed one day because Fairy Tail was too happy. Had to change shit up, give them mental scars and stronger wills yaknow? You're so precious oh my goodness. Thank you! I love your gratitude and cookies!_**

 ** _My vibe today is: Vai Malandra by Anitta_**


	21. Chapter twenty one

**Chapter twenty one**

"Natsu-"

"No."

"But Natsu-"

"Lucy," the dragon slayer whined out, praying she would just accept his pleas. "It hasn't even been a month! Why d'ya wanna go out on a job?"

"I need money, Natsu," she sighed out. "As much as I love living with you, my landlady is very strict about paying on time."

"If Natsu does not wish to accompany you, I shall be honored to go on a job with you, Lucy," Erza hummed out, not even pausing in her trek to the bar where a fresh piece of cake sat, topped with a beautiful strawberry. The dragon slayer let out a low snarl at the implication that he wouldn't want to go out on a job with Lucy- he was the only person _fit_ to go out on a job with her, after all, especially when she was still so fragile over her last injury- and Levy used that moment to drag the blonde towards the request board.

"What a great time to be needing a partner!" the bluenette cheered out, shooting a scathing look to her usual team. "I'm in the mood to take a nice _long_ job away from them right now. Why don't you pick something out, Lu-chan?"

"'Cause she ain't healed 'nough ta go out on a job!" the roset huffed in exasperation, trying to throw his arms around the blonde only to have her duck away with a gasp.

"Look, a silver key as a reward! On top of almost two _hundred thousand Jewels_? Oh, this is too good to miss out on!" Lucy chirped out excitedly, spinning to face the pair bickering silently with such bright enthusiasm that they both lost the words they had been in the process of spitting out. "We _need_ to go on this job! Imagine what spirit I could meet! It's a silver, of course, but it could make me so much stronger! Natsu, _please_?"

"It's not 'is problem if ya go 'r not," Cana slurred suddenly, falling heavily against the blonde with flushed cheeks and a cheeky grin. "Girl only mission. 'N lemme tell ya some'in'-" Cana's lips brushed the blonde's ear as she whispered, Natsu snarling dangerously in front of them with both Elfman and Gray holding him back- "all mah cards 're tellin' me ta go."

"A mysterious creature, hm? I've heard of something like this before, of course, but I've never faced a gender specific creature before this," Levy chirped our enthusiastically. "I'll definitely be coming along, Lu-chan!"

"No way! Think 'a how dangerous it'll be!" Natsu choked out, sending Gray skidding away with a bloody nose and laying Elfman out quickly. He grabbed the celestial mage's hands with urgency, her eyes wide and shining in uncertainty. "C'mon Luce, we can go on a job, any other one."

"Nonsense!" Erza declared suddenly, slinging her hand around the blonde's shoulders and dislodging Cana from her spot. "It will do Lucy and I good to work together. Perhaps you could take Gray on a job and bond as well. I promise to keep Lucy safe." Without waiting for a response, the redhead lifted her hand above her head and caught Mirajane's attention. "Levy, Cana, Lucy, and I shall be going on the female mage job in Froebeli."

"Of course!" the barmaid chirped back enthusiastically. "Have fun out there girls!" With that, the requip mage sent a withering glade and a powerful threat to the dragon slayer before pulling the blonde out of the guild hall, yapping on about how she had a surplus of clothes she wanted to see the celestial mage try on at some point during their job- a trick from Mira that helped the redhead's hoarding habits considering she mainly wore armor.

"Mira-"

"Don't start with me, Natsu Dragneel," the ivorette began, her crystalline voice sugary sweet. "Lucy _will_ have to learn to do solo jobs, and to work well with other guild mates. Eventually, you _will_ go on an S-class job and she _won't_ be able to go. Do you expect her to just sit and wait as you take weeks, months, or maybe even years to come back? She'll be kicked out of her apartment and depressed. No working mage wants to stop going on jobs, even if they are dangerous and exhausting. It's the thrill of traveling, of exerting themselves that catches us. You know that." Her sapphire eyes, though stern, were not unkind. "I won't be able to stop you from marching after them, but I do ask that you be careful. Gender specific jobs are rare and deadly in some cases, and Fairy Tail wouldn't be the same without you."

A rare smile, soft and understanding, crossed the roset's face as he backed away from the bar. "Thanks, Mira. Hey Stripper! C'mon, we're bonding!" Grabbing the dark haired man's arm- and leaving him to choke on his cigarette smoke as the butt fell to smolder on the floor- Natsu marched out of the guild hall and began speaking softly to his nemesis.

* * *

"You speak Encan?" Levy cooed out eagerly. "I didn't even know you could _learn_ Encan in Fiore!"

"I learned Encan as a child because my mother taught me," the blonde giggled out. "She always believed that you should speak as many languages as you can, so I know most of the Ishgarian languages along with a couple others. I've been struggling with Carmadian."

"Carmadian is pretty difficult," the bluenette agreed easily, pouting her lips. "Took me almost a full year to become fluent, and I'm a _linguistic_ mage."

"I'm so jealous. To be able to use your magic to help you with foreign languages must be an asset."

"It's not all that great. I mean, you can summon spirits designed to help you in every aspect of a job _and then some_! And you'll never be truly alone because you can just use your magic to have someone with you. _That_ must be useful."

"Ya 're worse than Alzy and Bisc. Jus' kiss already," Cana slurred out, smacking her head against the window of the train and snapping her eyes shut. "Yer flirtin's makin' me sick."

"Then, I guess I _shouldn't_ ask if you would be willing to teach me how to read tarot cards," the blonde purred teasingly, quirking an amuses eyebrow when mauve eyes slowly parted.

"Only if ya teach me ya read the stars."

"Deal!"

Across the train, Happy snickered as Gray, once again, shoved Natsu off of his shoulder, which prompted the roset to throw up in his bare feet. "This better be one good fuckin' job," the ravenet hissed darkly. The bile around his feet froze, the dark haired man glad for once that he had kicked his shoes and socks onto the other bench so they were safe from vomit. "Why are we even following them?"

"What if the client is a sex trafficker?" Happy chirped our helpfully from atop Gray's socks. "Lucy already tangled with them. Or another pervert!"

"Erza's there. She won't let anything happen."

"My hoard," Natsu choked out, whining as he slumped further into the seat, "my responsibility."

"Holy shit. Natsu just said 'responsibility'."

* * *

"Look, it's actually quite convenient," Lucy prodded, stopping to pull off her boots and slip on a pair of sneakers, all eyes trained on her as ribbons of fabric seemed to dance to life from her shoes and curl around her, leaving her in a pair of running shorts and a loose tee shirt. "My original outfit has traded places with this one, and is now hidden away. When I take them off, they'll trade places again, and it's easier to pack shoes than it is entire outfits." Shoving her boots into her bag, she slung the straps back over her shoulder and jogged to fall back in line with Levy, jumping when Cana fell heavily against her back.

"Lulu, ya look fine in those shorts," the brunette purred silkily, running her hands down the blonde's arms and giggling. "'M not a fan 'a the shirt, though. Hides yer massive jugs."

"Cana!" the celestial mage squealed out, swatting her wandering hands away as they slathered towards her breasts. "Cana, it's been over a day since we left the guild, how are you still drunk? You slept the whole train ride!"

"Imma drinkin' _god_. I don' get _drunk_. This 's how I always 'm." The shriek that sounded when Cana smacked Lucy's butt left Gray struggling to hold Natsu back from where they had been trailing behind the quartet for the better part of two days. In fact, the ice mage was beginning to suspect that the card mage's advances on their newest guildmate would make the dragon slayer commit a murder.

"Calm down, chili freak," he gritted our as he gave the roset a particularly nasty shove. "You know as well as me that Erza will kill us both if she catches us. Lucy's a big girl, she can smack Cana's hands away for a while longer, okay?"

"She shouldn't do that," the dragons slayer whined out, his childish and clingy demeanor freaking out the ravenet. "She could jostle her bone, an' then it'll never heal right. If her arm's hurt, she can't do jobs as easy."

"Aye, but if Erza gets ya, you'll never do jobs with her," Happy chimed out from the air. "You should listen to Gray this once." Finally, the cat decided to just lift the roset off of the ground, shooting Gray an unamused look as he mumbled out, "This would be so much easier if there was a girl dragon slayer in the guild to watch Lucy during those girly events."

"This would be easier if explosion lacrima here could control his damn instincts. He's gonna get us in trouble one of these days." Peeking around the cluster of mwerebi trees, Gray saw Erza's scarlet hair disappear through the hanging foliage and let out a large breath. "Why did I agree to help you stalk them?"

* * *

"Finally," Levy groaned out the moment they set foot in Froebeli, a quaint little fishing town to the west of Magnolia. "It's pretty uncommon to have such a self reliant town ask for help."

"Gardenia is a regular town for working mages to be called to, though," Erza informed Lucy. "You can tell due to which towns and cities have train stations, magic powered carriages, and other quick means of transportation."

"That makes sense," the blonde hummed out, eyebrows furrowing as she cast nervous glances around her. She was far too close to where she had been little over a year prior, only about a day's walk from the prison she had run away from days before her sixteenth birthday. For a moment, eyeing the climbing foliage that stained the village varying shades of green, pink, red, and white, Lucy was sure she had stayed in the town when she had first started off, nerves eating away at her heart.

"Let's find a bar!"

"I agree, Cana," Erza hummed out, nodding curtly, "we should check into an inn before meeting the client." Pouting about being ignored, the hickory haired woman draped herself over the blonde and began whining in her ear, something Lucy was far too accustomed to.

"Lulu, I need a drink! Gimme a drink!"

"If you knew you would want drinks, why didn't you pick alcohol in your bag? You know the enchantment I taught you, so you could have an endless supply of alcohol at your disposal." Silence reigned on for a moment before the card mage jumped and began to cheer, hugging Lucy closely and praising her in coping tones she could barely decipher.

"I'm surprised Cana didn't think of that," Levy said, warmly eyeing the brunette and the stressed out blonde who kept her eyes scanning their surroundings. After a long moment of observation, in which a little goblin snapping a twig a couple meters over left the blonde to jump and stare at the tiny rodent as if it were a weretiger come for a meal. "Hey Erza, have you noticed-"

"Yes," the requip mage said, her mocha eyes moving from the goblin to their teammate. Levy watched, awed, as the redhead's features softened and she began urging Cana away from the paranoid celestial mage, Erza wrapping her own hand around Lucy's wrist and sending her a reassuring look once panicked topaz eyes landed on her. "I have a beautiful green skirt I think you would enjoy. Will you try it on when we get to the room?"

"Of course," the celestial mage breathed out, pressing her arm firmly against the redhead's and trying to ignore the paranoia screaming in the back of her mind. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm going to summon Nyra. Something about this place is giving me chills." Eying each of her teammates as they warily agreed, the blonde yanked out the silver key and quietly summoned the dragon, who appeared in the crook of her neck and began rubbing her head against Lucy's neck. "Let's get going." They began towards the small village, eyes peeled for an inn or a motel they could stay in.

"Lookie 'ere," the drunk of the group crooned out, pointing towards a rather rustic building with complete giddiness lining her features, "t'sa bar!"

"Some of us don't plan on sleeping on some tavern floor, Cana," Levy giggled out, adjusting the strap of her bag further up her shoulder. "What good is going to some place called _Frosty Freddie's_ going to do us?"

"His wife runs an inn behind the bar," Lucy hummed out, her eyes tight with worry once more and shifting to peer behind her time and time again. Smooth scales flicked against her cheek, sending a wave of ease through her anxiously hammering heart, and she forced herself to relax as Nyra watched behind them. "It's the cheapest in town, but it isn't shabby. They only offer rooms to those who know about it."

"How do _you_ know about it, Lu-chan?"

They watched her fold in on herself, subconsciously tucking herself closer to Erza while also trying to close herself off, as if she was unused to the idea of leaning on someone else so she was fighting her own bonds. "I had to stay here when I first started out as an independent mage," she said slowly, cautious and hesitant. "One of the patrons promised me a place to stay when I asked, and Freddie kicked him out with apologies and a free room. I stayed in Froebeli for about a week, doing small tasks for money."

Cana knocked the tavern door open with her hip, eyes trained on where Erza was leading the blonde with an arm around the blonde's shoulders, though she peered over her shoulder at the silence that reigned over the building. "Holy shit," she breathed out, mauve eyes wide with concern as she took in the barren area, a single woman with silver streaking her rosy curls stationed behind the bar.

"Hello, how can I help ya today?" she asked, voice brittle and heavy.

"Lamise-san?" All eyes were on the blonde as she stepped around the group, her eyebrows furrowed. "It's Lucy. I'm a part of the team who accepted the request for female mages."

"Lucy dear, of course. You've come for a room, yes?" The woman was quick to usher them behind the ratty bar and down a slender hallway. "I'll call Marianna here while you girls get comfortable. We'll talk everything over in the bar. Take as much time as you need." The blonde felt her heart pang with sorrow at the tears lining the elder woman's lashline, threatening to spill over and streak down her wrinkled cheeks.

* * *

"How the hell are we lost?" Gray hissed our in irritation, kicking a sizable rock with enough force to send it skidding for a couple meters. "We were right behind them. Happy can _fly_. We have a _fuckin' dragon slayer_."

"What have I told you about using that language, Gray?" an eerily familiar voice hummed out teasingly, shocking the trio into looking past the trees to their left, praying for a glimpse of something. They saw nothing, the ice mage taking off without a second thought while an unwilling dragon slayer hesitated before cursing his luck and following the ravenet. He just hoped nothing went too poorly with the quartet they had lost.

* * *

 _ **Hey guys! I'm back again! Thank you so much to my Beta for helping me through this chapter. It's kinda lame, but I have grand things planned and I want to leave you on a cliffhanger. Before we go anywhere, I just want to let you guys know that regular updates probably won't be set on a time schedule. I just graduated high school, I'm looking for several jobs, I have a friend who was kicked out of her house living with me, and I have literally no money. Writing isn't my top priority at the moment. That being said, if anyone would like to help me be able to clear up more time for writing, you can donate to me at pay pal. me /cafepassionne and I would be so grateful to you. Really, you have no idea how much that would mean to me. Enough about me, though. **_

_**Littlest1 , as if I would ever just have the mighty Titania and She Devil sit quietly and read books to talk about later. Not to mention, Levy would read every book they picked out before anyone could finish the first. I figure that Natsu isn't as open all things considered, so to see him freaking out so much over anyone would freak everyone else out. Honestly, I don't even know how I pulled that off. My friend and I decided while we were brainstorming sleep deprived that we wanted all of the guys to freak out for no reason. I will definitely have Freed and Lucy be friends, so your backstory works wonders. I think the longer Lucy is around the loving people of Fairy Tail, the more she'll learn to accept herself and work on what she doesn't like. It's just going to be lifelike, so it will take time and she will relapse, but it will ultimately leave her happier and glad that she fought through it all. I have so many ideas for both Igneel and Zeref, both with Natsu and without him. **_

_**Therashae , I love Natsu's panic as well. He'll get a good reward though.**_

 _ **Alice , I missed you too, honey! If you want to keep in touch, you can email me at cafepassionne gmail. com or private message me. They are adorable. **_

_**Lucinda , thank you so much! **_

_**Guest , oh goodness no! Lisanna and Lucy are going to be friends. I feel like it may be awkward for them at first, but they definitely won't hate each other over Natsu's decision. Besides, Lisanna's going to have a crush of her own. **_

_**Melancholy's Sunshine , I love protective Natsu. I had to spare everyone of Natsu's beatdown. **_

_**GoddessxNyte2 , thank you so much for the continued support and for all of your ideas. You're the best!**_

 _ **Kitty-cat989898 , I agree. Hoarder Natsu is the best, though. I make them up for the most part, though the names are just translated from a list of languages I've set aside for each country (Fiorean is Italy if I ever do a story where Fiore isn't the main country). I also look at pictures, shows, listen to songs, read stories, etc. for spell inspiration. If you have any you want to see in the story though, let me know. **_

_**Naru285 , thank you. I mean, I feel like some of the girls are trying to make Natsu's life harder on him, but at this point, it's a mixture of outside influence and her irritation at being locked up keeping Natsu on his toes. I love the Thunder Legion!**_

 _ **Guest , yes!**_

 _ **SllytherinAvengerPrincess , you're so cute! I bet you'll be less excited when you see where it's going. Levy is definitely going to be huge in this story, bigger than in the manga and anime for sure. There will definitely be Miraxus because our little demon match maker needs love, too. Thank you. Rogue and Sting will make an appearance. **_

_**Fairy. Rains , thank you so much love!**_

 _ **PrettyPansexual , great name! Thank you so much! Alright, I'll definitely look more into who I think will fit. Anywhere specifically you want the job, or is whatever I decide good?**_

 ** _Song Reccomendation: Partition by Beyonce_**


	22. Chapter twenty two

**Chapter twenty two**

Levy wasn't ashamed to admit that this new woman, a violet haired woman obviously about to give birth, left her flinching each time she spun around, her amber eyes burning like fire as the innkeeper attempted to soothe her. "Go ahead, Lamise! Tell me _everything's_ gonna be _fine_ while you send a group of balloon chested _whores_ and a _child_ to go draw the men of town away from their sodomy fest!" Marianna screeched out, the group of Fairy Tail mages flinching away in horror at her accusation. "Well if you find some lowlife-"

"Marianna, it isn't like that at all," Lamise chided. "They're here to find wherever the men are. I don't care how much you believe they've abandoned us, I know my Freddie, and he wouldn't have left me like that. And Micah's been so good to you, how could you think he just left like that days before you're set to give birth?" The pregnant woman spun around sharply, her eyes narrowed into a fine line that darkened her bright irises, and the room grew deathly silent.

"Do what you'd like, but leave me out of it. I don't have the time to be running after some insecure, grown man because he gets cold feet about his own child." The purple haired woman spun on her heel, teeth gnashing violently to reign in on her emotions that threatened to pour from her eyes, and she stormed out of the tavern.

"What's up her-" Lucy slammed her hand over Cana's mouth, muffling her words and bearing through the tongue that began assaulting her palm in order to continue her verbal bashing.

"Is it safe to assume that you need us to find out where Freddie has gone?" the blonde inquired above the grumblings of the card mage.

"Not just Freddie. Almost every male in town, even the young boys. It's so troubling." Erza felt her eyebrows crease, dark eyes clouding over with worry like a brewing storm, and she wondered if they were well suited for the job.

* * *

"Follow the mchikichi trees along the stream," Levy hummed out, a certain skip to her step that made Cana giggle behind her hand. "Lamise-san said that this was the furthest anyone had seen the missing come, but it's where we start." She dropped low to the ground, concentration turning her eyes stony and her fingers farting out to prod and measure the faint footprints visible on the earth. "There are no clear tracks to go by, a lot of people have passed through here after all."

"Lucy!" a small voice wailed, the blonde hardly able to brace herself before something slammed into her chest and knocked her to the floor. She whined as a root dug into her shoulder, eyes screwing shut in pain as her muscle knotted, and Erza snapped out of her stupor first.

"What in the name of Mavis are you doing here, l?" she hummed out chillingly. "I believe this was a _female only_ request."

"Natsu and Gray decided to follow you guys to make sure it wasn't another pervert or something, but then Lisanna was in the woods and they got sidetracked, but it wasn't really Lisanna, but Natsu and Gray still think it is!" the feline rushed out, tears matting his fur as he cried. Lucy watched everyone collectively flinch at the name, one she didn't recognize, before pulling herself up and curling her arms around Happy.

"Well, we should go after them then, right?" she breathed with an ease smile on her face. "Lead the way, Happy." Everyone seemed reluctant to even breathe for a moment, as if the minuscule movement would bring them immense pain, and yet Levy broke free from the spell and curled her arm around the blonde's.

"It's okay, Happy. If anyone can save Natsu and Gray from a changeling, it's Lucy. I'm sure Cana and I are more than ready to see her fight," the bluenette purred our teasingly, though her voice was uncomfortably hollow.

"I came here to see Lulu kick ass," the normally drunk card mage cheered out unenthusiastically, purposely knocking shoulders with Erza as she staggered towards the trio.

"We have a job to complete, and I'll bet Natsu and Gray just got hooked in this creature's spell." The redhead found anger easier to manage than the sorrow that overtook her, gritting her teeth and nodding firmly towards Happy. "Lead the way."

* * *

Darkness settled over them like a mist, curling and twisting leisurely, gentle at first, until they were surrounded on all sides and the darkness was suffocating- though whether that was the darkness or fear of what they would find, no one really knew. They all became lost in their thoughts, wandering aimlessly through weaving tunnels until they were deep within the cavern and had no hopes of finding their way out again. It was only Happy, who had been nose to nose with a creature that seemed to have stolen Lisanna's melodious voice, that sank his claws into Lucy's forearm before she walked straight off of a rather shallow ledge. "Sorry," he whimpered when she hissed in pain. "Were there."

"Gray," a gentle, singsong voice hummed out. The blonde felt herself freeze at the familiarity of the voice, peeking around at her friends, and she passed Happy off to Levy, who seemed to be awestruck as if she knew the voice by heart despite the impossibility. Climbing over the last ridge, the celestial mage stood alone as she caught sight of her guildmates, both tripping over their two feet as they fought to reach a stranger. "It's good to see you and Natsu being friendly."

"Natsu, Gray, what do you think you're doing?" the blonde thundered out, her voice chilling enough to make the duo freeze and snap their necks back to look at her. "This was a _female only_ job, and yet here you are, falling into the arms of some illusionary magic wielding gorgon. And you think _I'm_ weak."

"I never said you were weak," the dragon slayer protested quickly.

"We were worried is all," Gray stammered out over the fire wielder.

"But I haven't seen Lisanna in so long," Natsu whined.

"Ur's _alive_ ," the ice mage breathed.

"Illusionary wielding _gorgon_?" the object of their obsession shrieked out as the boys regarded each other in confusion. "You blonde _bimbo_! I was the _fairest maiden_ in my time!" She rushed Lucy, who felt her heart panging painfully at how willing Natsu was to choose some girl, Lisanna, over her- not that he couldn't, of course, since they hardly knew each other, she mentally reprimanded- and snagged her by the hair.

"Then why are you _here_? Using illusionary magic to lure men into this cave?" she snarled back, nails tearing at her captor's wrists. "If you were the fairest, you wouldn't be wasting your time in Froebeli, plucking away man after man and ruining the lives of wives and daughters." The creature who only Happy and Lucy seemed to see hissed, her magic dripping from her, the other mages cringing in horror at the sight of a waterlogged woman, no older than Enno, and the blonde held her ground, eyes narrowed and face utterly blank.

"A siren," Levy cooed out, the tremor in her voice giving away her shock. Cana siddled over to Natsu, helping to keep him from charging blindly towards the dangerous water creature as their celestial mage squirmed. "She was betrayed."

"That's no excuse for her playing on other people's hope," Lucy chided. "The only reason she had any leverage at all was because she needed to find who you care for most and play on that, and the idea of finding a long lost friend helps her break their will to survive so she can commit mass murder." The siren gave her hair a sharp tug, her roots screaming at the pressure, and a twisted smirk came over the waterlogged features of their opponent. _"Lâchez mes cheveux, putain de harpie!"_

"Lucy!" Levy shrieked, horrified as even the siren flinched away, shock gracing her face. The blonde ripped her hair away from the siren, several strands snapping and yanking out of her head, and pulled a golden key from her hip with a dangerous scowl on her face.

"Open gate of the giant crab, Cancer!" she called, because if there was one thing that treasured her hair, it would be the celestial spirit that had nourished it since they formed a contract. The flash of light highlighted the fair hair falling to the ground, caramel eyes narrowing behind lime tinted glasses as the scissors in his grip snapped shut.

"Leave this girl to me, baby," he snarled darkly, Happy shocked at the change in demeanor from what he had seen during the fight with Everlue. He shot forward, his shirt hardly wrinkling as barnacles and sea plants began falling from her soaked skin. Lacerations began to bleed salt water, the siren screaming so brutally with the voices of loved ones that Cana found herself sobbing, even Erza brushing away tears as she thought over everything Mira had told her of Lisanna's death. Levy collected Happy to her arms for either comfort or grounding, Natsu staggering forward when Lucy collapsed to her knees and Gray gritting his teeth and backing into the nearest wall in an attempt to disappear from view.

"You," an icy voice seethed out apathetically, "you don't get to torture my brat." Aquarius sauntered forward dangerously, her tail never brushing the ground as the siren cowered. "I have dealt with her for years, and I'll be damned if you try to cause her even a fraction of the pain I've brought her under my blessing, you stupid wench." Cancer disappeared in a reluctant pulse of light, the celestial mage's sobs weakening into occasional sniffles as she focused glossy doe eyes on the spirit. "Keep your head up, girl. You've dealt with mind readers and illusionists before. This is nothing compared to them."

"Right," she whimpered out, shaking off the warm arms that had wrapped around her and standing slowly. "This is nothing compared to them." Trying to harden her glossy eyes, the blonde used the steady draining of her magic to ground herself as she uncurled her whip from its place on her belt. "If you even try to use my mother's voice against me again, I will make you regret surviving this long. Everyone, please go back to the shore and look for a ship or something. That's where the villagers will be."

"C'mon guys," Cana hummed out, voice unusually dull as she pulled out a card. "Lu, this is a call card. Push some magic into it if you're in danger and we'll come right back."

"I'm not leaving," Natsu hissed out, scrambling to his feet and shooting towards the blonde. Happy hesitated only a minute before lifting the roset from the ground and hurrying after where Levy was dragging Gray.

 _"þú ert allt í lagi,"_ the bluenette was whispering, folding under his weight until Cana swooped in, smiling softly towards Erza and urging her along.

"Happy, let go of me!" Their voices were getting softer, even Natsu's desperate shouts, and the reality of what needed to be done settled down on the celestial mage's shoulders.

"What's your name?" she asked, voice gentle once more. Her eyes were pitying, staring at the cursed woman who was focused so intently on Aquarius that she would never see an attack coming.

Without tearing her eyes from the celestial being, the siren croaked out, "Myriam." The distaste was so evident in her tone that Aquarius's scowl grew more intense, though Lucy didn't let it bother her.

"Myriam, I understand that you were wronged." When the siren bared her teeth and snarled towards the blonde, she merely stood more firmly and insisted, "I do." Unwinding her whip from her belt, Lucy felt a familiar numbing anger wash over herself. "That doesn't mean I can forgive the torment of innocents. I will pray for the Celestial Spirit King to accept your soul tonight." The crack of her whip and the vicious growl from the siren clashed dangerously in the cavern, echoing and leaving a certain heaviness in the air that seemed to smother even Aquarius.

* * *

 _Natsu Dragneel may not exit the boundaries of this premise without Levy McGarden's explicit permission._ The violet letters taunted him each time he rammed against the invisible wall, sure he could hear screams from within the cave. "Levy, lemme out!" he shouted, somewhere between demanding and pleading.

"No way. Lu-chan said she could handle the siren and everyone else is looking for the ship. Now, if you don't stop banging on my ruins, I'll use something that would frighten even Zeref." He went still, not as focused on the threat as the sudden silence that wafted over the caverns, not even the appearance of Erza and Gray enough to break him from his forward gaze.

"He still being a complete moron?" Gray hummed out, a cigarette dangling from his lips and filling him with a false serenity. Erza rammed her elbow into his ribs at the hollow laugh he sounded, far harder than she had originally intended to, though she ignored the way he crumpled forward and choked on the smoke he had inhaled a moment before.

"Natsu, is something wrong?"

"It's quiet," he voiced hollowly, his mind soaring through negative possibilities. "Erza, it's quiet." Pleading hazel eyes turned on the redhead, who froze for only a moment before nodding and turning her stern gaze to Levy.

"No way," the bluenette argued. "I just got him to calm down and Lu-chan said she could handle it!"

"Gray, go find Cana. Happy, follow Natsu incase something bad happens. Levy, free him," Erza listed off, her voice almost strong enough to make the guild mages stiffen into obedience. It took the runic mage another beat before she sighed and gave in, side stepping the racing dragon slayer and narrowly avoiding being run into the dirt.

"How much do you wanna bet you'll regret this?"

"I don't want to lose the Jewel, Levy."

* * *

She could feel the blood trickling past her eye, catching the tail of her eyebrow and sinking past her cheekbone, but her arms were numb and she was using almost all of her focus to continue stumbling through the uneven cave. She didn't know what was more numb; her wrist, which she was pretty sure she had sprained if not fractured, or her heart, which seemed to shrivel each time her mind replayed her mother- the _siren_ \- scream. It took her a moment to realize that she saw someone rushing towards her, anxiety bringing her hand up and her magic to her fingertips. _"Dūra!"_ she squeaked out, feeling the pulse as it raced long the cavern, a familiar hum of confusion sounding as the roset dropped to the ground. "Natsu! Oh heavens, it's just you! Are you okay?" She half crawled towards him, partially due to how weak her legs felt after the last burst of magic, and he cautiously lifted his head to look around for a moment.

"Ya 'lright, Luce? What happened?" he asked softly, gathering her up in his arms. He kept watching the darkness behind her, waiting for the siren to rear her head, and yet nothing other than dripping water further into the tunnel of caves could be heard.

"I just want to go to sleep," she whimpered, allowing her forehead to fall against his collarbone as tears brimmed her eyes. "I just want to _sleep_." He cautiously picked her up, noting how easily she molded against him, and it wasn't until he hear gentle breaths from behind him that he remembered Happy was with him.

"That was one powerful spell, Lucy," he hummed out dizzily, falling into the punch locks of the dragon slayer. "You're lucky you dodged it, Natsu. It would have dropped you on your ass."

"I'm sure it would've," he chuckled out, shifting the blonde as she whispered how much she wanted to sleep into his scarf. He headed back out of the cave, finding the quartet waiting for him with amused looks. "Let's go."

"We gotta get the men first, dumbass," Gray chided coldly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "That's the whole mission."

"Luce's tired. You guys can finish the mission. I'll take her to the inn," the roset argued back. "Don't fuck it up."

"We will see you later. Go to the tavern, _Frosty Freddie's_. We have a room there," Erza instructed, turning on her heel and walking back towards the ship.

* * *

 _ **Hey guys! Sorry about the really long wait for a really short chapter. Life is kicking my ass so hard right now, but it's all good because I'm getting used to it. Anyways, feel free to message me or whatever, because I do love hearing from you guys even though I take a million years to update. It also helps me remember that I do have a life outside of work, as impossible as that seems. Anyways, here y'all go!**_

 _ **Therashae**_ _ **, you already know hearing Erza without seeing her is the most terrifying thing in the Fairy Tail universe. Even Zeref cowers.**_

 _ **Slvr0107**_ _ **, I wanted to stay true to the manga, and he's a smoker there. Plus, I think it's a really nice quirk, something that will definitely bring up drama later. And when we do that whole going back in the past thing, Erza will definitely be wailing on Wakaba for supplying Gray with his first few cigarettes.**_

 _ **latinagirl-reader2010**_ _ **, Natsu and Lucy will most absolutely have at least one unison raid together. My favorite arc has to be Tartaros or the Alvarez arc, just because I love the range of emotions and the potential within them.**_

 _ **Littlest1 , oh, I love your ideas! There's really no need to thank me. Cana and Lucy will bond over magic, and Cana won't let Lucy be bossed around by anyone soon enough. Lucy does enjoy the attention, but sooner or later I'll have her show more annoyance over the fact that his attention can be almost suffocating given the solidarity she had endured before. Mira is my spirit animal honestly. And I have ideas for the S-class quest. Thank you for all of your support. It really does mean a lot. **_

_**S. Augustara**_ _ **, you're so precious oh my goodness. I love you so much. You have to show me your costume designs some time!**_

 _ **Alydragneel**_ _ **, life is tough. I hope you get a job soon as well!**_

 _ **, how precious are you guys oh my goodness. I love you all ah you make life livable! I hope everything is kind of decent.**_

 _ **Lucinda , thank you so much!**_

 _ **Alice**_ _ **, definitely! Everyone is so supportive and you guys talk so highly about the story! I'm honestly crying in the club right now oh my goodness.**_

 ** _Angel-Mamma_ _, I hope you continue to enjoy it!_**

 ** _Fairylover4679635 , right? I love them!_**

 ** _Lady Lutka , oh my goodness thank you! This is something I've been struggling to write for years as well. I'm glad you enjoy it and think it does the story you were thinking of justice!_**

 ** _Guest , you already know it. I love my little Wendy bean!_**

 ** _Softkittypaw_** ** _, thanks! I swear I'm mostly okay. Hugs and kisses!_**

 ** _Hannah 300 , thank you so much!_**

 ** _Guest_** ** _, thank you!_**

* * *

 **Song reccomendation of the chapter: Apex Predator, Mean Girls Broadway Cast**


	23. Author's Note

**Sorry guys, this isn't actually a chapter. I just have some announcements to make.**

 **First of all, I have the biggest writer's block with this story and, on top of that, I don't like the style that it's become. It seems disorganized and everyone's all over the place.**

 **That being said, I have decided to do a rewrite for this story. It will keep this title, but it will be a different story, just because I do plan on changing it and I don't want to carry on any reviews it doesn't deserve. I'm sorry if this inconveniences anyone!**

 **This new version will, believe it or not, be more focused on Lucy (shocking, I know) just because I do want to share some things that happened, and that does include her past- her wealth, her father, all of it. That being said, I was considering including some prologue type chapters on Natsu and Fairy Tail as a whole before Lucy gets there. If you guys have any comments on that, or any suggestions at all, I would be more than happy to hear them!**

 **Thank you guys for all of the support. Happy holidays and I'll look forward to posting more in this upcoming year!**


	24. Last update

**This is just a quick update to let everyone know that chapter one of the rewrite is up and will (hopefully) be updated weekly on Mondays. It's under the same title and everything, just a different story, so if you're interested, check it out! I just don't feel right about deleting this version of it, so this story will be staying up. I hope you all enjoy it!**


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